Torn Apart
by mysterywriter94
Summary: Life is going perfectly at NCIS. Abby and McGee are to be married very soon. But then something happens, and then life at NCIS will slowly be torn apart...and it all starts in the most unlikely of places. McAbby story all the way! R and R!
1. Three Years Later

Chapter 1- Three Years Later

"Happy birthday Kelly!" Abby squealed while holding out her daughter's present. Kelly eagerly ripped open the present to reveal a small smiling cloth doll.

"Yay!" Kelly shrieked, hugging the doll. "I love it, Momma!" McGee came in as she started playing with it.

"Hey, Abs," he murmured, wrapping his arms around her. "Wedding is just in a few weeks, can you believe it?" She smiled, imagining the decorations Kate and Ziva had so carefully planned out. A Halloween wedding in June. Her dress would be ranging from dark purple to midnight black, the shades blending together to form a sort of mysterious effect. The flower girl, her young second cousin Melanie, would toss black rose petals onto a blood red carpet aisle so that they would stand out.

"We have to go to work. Who's watching Kelly-belly today?" he asked, snapping Abby out of her reverie.

"Um, Palmer I guess," she replied, throwing out the first name that came into her head. He nodded and left the room to go get ready.

_NCIS- Bullpen_

"Hey, Ziv," Tony called out. She glanced at over at him.

"What, Tony?" she asked in an exasperated tone.

"The lovebirds are here," he announced in a solemn tone. She turned and saw McGee, Abby, and Kelly come out of the elevator.

"Zeeva!" Kelly cried out, pointing at the Israeli quietly working at her desk. She looked at Tony, and frowned. She looked at Abby for help.

"Who?" she asked.

"That's Tony," Abby told her. Kate came out from the Director's office, and suddenly the toddler was showered with affection from everybody. She was hugged and it seemed nobody could get enough of her curly black hair that came just past her ears. Finally, Gibbs had to intervene in order to get the team focused.

"Time to get that little distraction out of here," he said to McGee. The probie nodded and went down to the autopsy with Kelly so Palmer could keep an eye on her. Palmer turned his head to see ocean blue eyes gazing up at him.

"Hi there, Kelly," He smiled at the toddler, who flashed her dimples back. "I guess I get to play with you for today," He picked the girl up and set her in his lap.

_Abby's lab_

Abby cheerfully started up all her precious machines, giving each of them a brief morning greeting as she went. Bert sat a few feet away from the computer, overseeing all her actions. She adored that stuffed farting hippo Gibbs had gotten her a while back. It was her constant companion when she was alone, and her only verbal outlet when she was sure no one else would overhear. Today, she didn't find it necessary to speak with him as she normally did, since she was in a good mood. So, with news of the new case coming by from Ducky, she decided to wait for the evidence to get here before she did anything else. She didn't have to wait long. There was a light rap on the locked door. Abby leapt to her feet and went to unlock it. Ducky came in, holding bags of evidence out to the forensics scientist.

"Yay, the evidence is here!" she squealed, grabbing the bags and spreading them out on the table. "Finally something for me to do," She turned to the medical examiner. "Duck, is Gibbs here yet?"

"He should be here any moment," Ducky replied. "I must get back before Kelly does something too crazy," He left the lab much quicker than usual. Abby methodically plowed through the new evidence, and before she knew it nearly three hours had passed since Ducky had left the lab. Without Gibbs or Caf-Pow. Suddenly she felt exhausted and a little lonely. It seemed Gibbs always made his appearance at the right time.

"What do you got, Abs?" She did her best to hide her relief when she saw the Caf-Pow in his hand. Abby took the drink from him and set it aside, preparing to start in on her report.

"I went through all of the evidence Ducky just brought me, and it looks like there was a second victim…" Her voice trailed off. She tried again, trying to stay focused. "The DNA on the murder weapon did not belong to the victim, which I find every interesting, because wasn't the rope around the dead man's neck? Our killer must be very smart, because that wouldn't be an easy thing to pull off, especially because we don't-"

"Abs," Gibbs sighed wearily, cutting off her rambling at once. "That's good, okay? I'll have the team track down the second victim. You just keep working," He kissed her cheek and got ready to leave.

"Could you…?" He looked at her.

"…send McGee? Got it, Abs," She fought a smile as he seemed to read her mind. He left the lab, s small smile on his face as well. She sat in a chair and kept looking at the clock every few seconds. After what felt like an eternity, the door opened and McGee walked in.

"TIMMY!" Abby ran up to her fiancée and hugged him so hard that he couldn't breathe for a minute.

"Hi, Abs," Tim said weakly once she released him. "Sorry I took so long. The boss man wanted to have a work with me about rule 12," She rolled her eyes, unconcerned.

"Forget about that, Timmy. Now we have some time alone," Her voice grew very suggestive, almost seductive. McGee allowed himself a small smile of anticipation. Abby pressed her lips to his, and to her it was like the world exploded with fire in that one instantaneous second. She shut her eyes and pulled McGee closer to her. When she lifted her head to look at him, she could feel her pulse racing like crazy.

"I love you," Tim said, his eyes shining with passion.

"Momma!" Abby looked down to see her daughter tugging on the edge of her lab coat.

"Yes, Kelly-belly?"

"How was I made?" she asked, her blue eyes burning with innocent, child-like curiosity. Abby threw a slightly panicked look at McGee. _Tell her the stork story, _his face seemed to say. She smiled and began to tell the story she was told when she asked those kind of questions at such a young age.

"Well, all the little eggs that are to be the babies of the day are stirred around in a big pot, nice and slow so that they become good children like you Kelly, but first they have to make the right ingredients…" Kelly's eyes widened with fascination as she wove in the details, getting descriptive to the point that even McGee could picture the example children that she provided. After a while, she finally ran out of things to say and concluded the tale.

"I'm going tell Zeeva how good children are made!" she said, running off for the elevator. Abby laughed, leaning on McGee's arm.

"You sure know how to tell a good story," he murmured, his lips brushing her hair.

"I learned from the best," she whispered. The rest of the day passed by very quickly, as they had for the past three years. Life was very good now, perfect even. _What could possibly go wrong?_ Abby thought happily as she went home that night. Famous last words…

**A/N: Ooh, cliffie! This is where the plot starts to pick up, so don't think the whole thing is all lovey-dovey romance the whole way through. It would be too boring if it were like that anyway…this isn't Twilight! It's NCIS, right? Right. Chapter 2, coming soon to a computer near you!**


	2. Shocked Beyond Belief

Chapter 2- Shocked Beyond Belief

That evening, Abby put Kelly to bed early so that she could have some alone time with her fiancée. She sprawled out on the couch and waited for him to appear. She had decided tonight was the night to try out the new night wear she had gotten from the mall last weekend on a shopping spree with her cousin Linda.

"Timmy…" she purred. "Where'd you go?"

"In the kitchen," he called. "I was looking for the leftover pizza from last night…where did you put it?" 

"My stomach, around ten minutes ago," He groaned and shut the fridge.

"Try the pantry, I think there might be something in there," Abby suggested. McGee came into the living room, holding a jar of peanut butter.

"Never mind about that. What did you have in mind for this eveni-"He stopped when he saw what Abby happened to be wearing.

"Its new lingerie," Abby said, reading the multiple expressions in his face: confusion, surprise, desire…and more surprise. "Don't you like it? I had this all planned out since this morning," McGee managed to recover so he could respond properly.

"Its…very nice," he stammered, trying to get a hold of himself. "I…uh, you look, err…very, uh, nice, Abs," She sighed and pulled on her bathrobe over herself.

"Seriously, you're killing the romance of the moment, Tim," she grumbled as she got off the couch. McGee gave her a strange look and opened the jar of peanut butter. He found a plastic knife and went back into the kitchen. Abby followed him.

"I thought you were fine with just Kelly," he said from the pantry. "She's already a handful as it is…" Abby went over to the fridge and found a soda. As she shut the door, she thought she heard a window open. She returned to the living room and saw the window which lead to the fire escape was open. Abby closed it and opened her can of soda as she headed back for the kitchen. McGee was in the middle of making a peanut butter sandwich.

"So much for my plans this evening," she said, sighing wistfully. He said nothing, but just put the peanut butter and bread away as if nothing had happened. "Women only have so many years of fertility, you know…and it can be easily lost in a number of ways, such as an injury to the groin, or even-" McGee strode up to her and jammed his lips against hers. She fought a smile of satisfaction and held him as tightly as she could.

"Happy now, Abs?" he gasped, pulling back slightly. She kissed him just as fiercely back as and answer. Without letting go, he led her into the bedroom. Abby turned on the stereo and music blasted out of the speakers at its maximum allotted volume. Luckily the neighbors were used to loud music in the middle of the night, so nobody stopped by to complain. After a while, Abby turned the lights down low. As she looked over to Kelly's room, she decided to check up on her daughter.

"I'm going to check on Kelly," she said to McGee as she left the bedroom. She casually strode to the doorway and gently pushed the door open. The lights were off, so she turned them on. Abby couldn't see Kelly's head, so she assumed the blankets were pulled over her head. She approached the small bed, thinking the child was probably getting overheated. Kelly's room was strange compared to other little girl's rooms. There wasn't a single speck of pink to be seen anywhere. Instead of the bright, feminine colors that most girl toddlers preferred, Abby had painted the walls Kelly's favorite colors: purple, blue, and black. The furniture matched, and was almost outer space or futuristic themed rather than princess or fantasy. The only thing that kept it from being totally unusual and more like the average girl's bedroom was the doll sitting on the pillow. She smiled, vaguely remembering that she was the same way at that age. Like mother, like daughter. She hoped that would be true in every way. Abby imagined teaching Kelly how to be a forensics specialist in the future, giving her the skills so she could take her place one day. She thought about Kelly growing up. What would the future hold? Would she want to join NCIS some day? She sure hoped so. It was the only future she had planned for the young girl. Abby slowly pulled back the blanket, hoping to see her daughter was fine. She paused, her hand on the blanket. What if everything _wasn't_ fine? It was awfully quiet in here. She should be able to hear her breathing even at this distance. She sighed and yanked the blanket aside at last. At first she thought her eyes were playing tricks on her. She blinked, trying to comprehend what she saw, or rather, didn't see. There was just no way this was happening. It wasn't possible. But the truth was right there in front of her. Kelly's bed was empty. Well, not completely empty. There was a small note sitting there. Feeling numb, Abby glanced at the note. Two words, but they scared her just the same. The spiky handwriting was all too familiar to her.

_I'M BACK_

"Timmy…" she called. He was at her side at once. She leaned toward him and whispered, "Call Gibbs," McGee took in the empty bed, the note, the panicked look on her face, and followed orders without question.

"Boss, I know it's late, but we have a situation," he said in a tense voice. Abby clung to him, trying to find comfort in his body being close to hers. Her baby Kelly was kidnapped.


	3. Anguish

Chapter 3- Anguish

"Come on, let's go," McGee said after hanging up the phone. He dragged her over to the car. Abby sat in the back, in a complete daze. Was this really happening, or was it just another nightmare? She numbly followed McGee into the bullpen. Gibbs went over to McGee and started asking questions, only a few of which he was able to answer. He ordered Ziva and Tony to go search Abby's apartment for any clues. The whole time, Kate had been out and about somewhere, and returned after everyone had left to follow orders, leaving Abby standing there all alone. Oblivious to the tense atmosphere, she approached Abby.

"What's going on over here? Everyone disappeared on me,"

"There's a new case," Abby replied, being unusually vague.

"Really? Why wasn't I told this?"

"It was…sudden," she hedged. "Even I didn't see it coming,"

"Well, were you there when all this craziness started?"

"How could I not have been? I _live_ there," she said, starting back for the elevator. Kate followed her.

"You mean there was a murder in your own house?" she exclaimed. "And you didn't see it _coming_? Who was killed? What happened? Did you hear anything?" Abby tossed her an annoyed glance, causing Kate to stop her frantic interrogation at once.

"Nobody was killed," she stressed. "I never said that there was a murder or even if anyone was dead. Stop making assumptions, Kate,"

"What happened, then?"

"Kelly…" She took in a deep breath, trying to calm down. "Kelly was kidnapped," Kate's eyes widened. Gibbs came out again, looking like he meant business.

"Kate, I want you to interrogate those in the apartments near Abby's to see if they saw anything within the last few hours or so," he ordered, tossing some gear in her direction. She caught it all with expert precision.

"I'll have to be wired," she said. It wasn't a question. Gibbs gave her a stiff nod of confirmation and left the bullpen. She pulled on the vest and adjusted the mike.

"Sorry, Abby. I have to go," Abby let her leave, already headed for the stairwell. She was desperate to have someone to talk to, anyone. The autopsy lab was empty. McGee wasn't in her lab. Gibbs wasn't at his desk. She tried calling McGee.

"Abby, now's not a good time…" he said tensely. "Giving the Director an update. I'll call later, I promise," He hung up. Abby sighed and put her phone away. Now she was really alone. The numbness was starting to give way to harsh reality. Kelly was kidnapped…her precious Kelly…she felt a strange ripping sensation in her torso. The feeling just got worse and worse as the time passed. She wandered around, scarcely remembering where she had been by the time she circled back to the deserted bullpen. Well, deserted, except for McGee. He was at his desk, concentrating on something.

"Timmy? Weren't you going to call?" she asked, approaching his desk.

"My phone died," he admitted in a low voice. "I'm really busy at the moment, Abby. We can talk later, okay?" She sighed and drifted down to her lab, intending to find Bert to vent to for the evening. It wasn't until she got down there that she remembered Bert was all the way back at her apartment. No way was she going there again for some time. She'd sleep here, in the rolling chair. Time passed by unevenly, and she was sure only a few minutes had passed when she looked at the clock again. It was almost midnight. Abby felt hungry so she rummaged through the fridge to see what she could find. Yogurt, bottled water, black forest cake from Tony…she decided to treat herself to some cake for once. Abby found a plastic fork and took the last slice of cake out of the fridge. She was about to take a bite when she remembered that note on Kelly's bed at home. The handwriting didn't look like a woman's at all. That was because it wasn't. It was Mikel's. She set the container down and ran out of the lab, feeling panic rising in her throat. No, no, no! Not again! He couldn't be out of prison yet! He still had another seven years left at the least. What could he possibly want out of her daughter that she never wanted to give him…images flashed in her mind that made her feel sick. As she paced back and forth by Gibbs' desk, Kate returned with her vest all torn and her mike crooked.

"Abby! I know who did it!" she gasped, running up to the gothic scientist.

"So do I," Abby muttered, not quite meeting her eyes. "My old boyfriend Mikel,"

"Oh. I was going to say Daniela…are you sure?"

"It was his handwriting on the note,"

"Really?" she breathed. "I could have sworn that one person's alibi was perfect! Some young girl that lives next door to you said she saw a woman pass through last night. Not a man…that's strange. Maybe he came after she stopped paying attention,"

"No…" Abby gasped. "It can't be! Not here! Not now! He still has seven more years! I swear, if he comes after me again, I won't hesitate to pull the trigger and end his miserable life," She backed away from Kate, feeling the panic starting to overwhelm her. The pain of the worry about Kelly, plus this frantic anxiety about her own life was starting to become too much. Her head spun with conflicting emotions. The room spun with her as she continued to back away, and she pitched forward into an almost faint. Kate just barely managed to catch her as she fell. Abby clung onto that precious edge, but she could feel herself slipping.

"Kelly…" she whispered, gazing at the ground but seeing nothing but her daughter's happy, smiling face. Worry won the struggle with anxiety, and she gave in to the overwhelming emotion.

"Abby?" Kate queried, pulling Abby to her feet. She turned away.

"Don't," she said without facing her.

"Abs…"

"Don't," she repeated, trying to get a hold of herself. Tears spilled down her face, despite herself.

"I just-"

"Don't, Kate. I can't deal with that right now," Kate always had her interesting way of calming Abby down when she was upset that usually involved heavy intoxication and waking up the next morning not remembering what had happened the night before. This method was only used in emergencies, since it wasn't a wise idea for the designated driver to drive home drunker than the passenger. This was a shared secret between the two, which started around the time Abby had dated Mikel. They were less responsible back then, and quit the habit when Gibbs had found out, and threatened to demote Kate back to probie status if they didn't cut it out. Of course, this untraditional tradition was only performed twice.

"I just want to be there for you," she whispered. "I know what it feels like to be worried about someone that important to you…someone you'd do anything for, in any situation, no matter what," Abby could feel that edge slowly slipping away. She gripped the desk for support.

"I'm s-sorry, I can't-" Abby stammered just before breaking down into chest-wracking sobs as the last of her control vanished. The anguish she felt was so excruciating, it was hard to believe she was still intact on the outside. Her _daughter_…her only daughter. Taken, stolen, kidnapped, there was a dozen words for it. They all said the same thing. Gone.

_Just let her be okay,_ she silently pleaded through her tears. Kate hugged her reassuringly in her infinite kindness. It seemed a while before she finally regained control of herself again. McGee came over, worried about Abby.

"Abby…" he sighed, looking at his fiancée. "If it makes you feel better, I'm worried too," He looked very tired, but the pain was also evident in his face.

"Not really, but thanks for trying," Abby croaked. McGee moved around Kate and led her over to his desk. He pulled her over to his computer screen. His desktop showed Kelly as she looked a couple weeks ago. Her shining blue eyes looked right at Abby.

"Go ahead and talk to her," he said. Abby smiled, a few stray tears escaping.

"Hi, Kelly," she whispered, staring at the picture. She imagined it was really her daughter. For a second, she believed it. "I love you very much, I hope you know that, sweetie," McGee rubbed her shoulders, and for a moment that was all she could concentrate on.

"That's right, Kelly-belly, we both love you," McGee added. "Your mother's going to tell you a story while I go somewhere really quick," He kissed her cheek and left. She glanced over at Kate, who was already occupying herself with something else. Abby started in on her story right away, an idea coming to mind.

"Once upon a time, there was a brave girl who lived in the woods…," she started, smiling to herself. She could sense Gibbs watching her, but that didn't stop her from telling one of the best children's stories there ever was. When she completed her tale, Gibbs was right behind her.

"I was just coming over to see if you needed someone to talk to, but I can see you're managing just fine," Gibbs said, smiling a little at the picture of Kelly. She shrugged, turning to him.

"I just did what I did when you were gone that first time," she replied. He winced at the memory.

"I hope you never tell Ziva about that moment of weakness I had," he whispered as Tony and Ziva came into the bullpen.

_You have my word_, she signed to him.

_Excellent_, he signed back. _By the way, look down at the desk. I have a surprise for you, Abby. _She glanced down and saw a Caf-Pow sitting there.

"Yay, thank you, Gibbs!" she squealed, hugging him. Tony came over and snatched the cup, causing Abby to toss him a warning glare. He was unaffected, waving the drink out of her reach. She stalked toward him, her hands on her hips. Ziva snagged the cup out of his grasp and wordlessly handed over to Abby.

"Thank you, Ziva," she said appreciatively, smirking at Tony.

"Ninja girl strikes again," Tony announced, earning a head slap from the boss. He rubbed his head and glared at Gibbs' retreating back. Ziva laughed, and Abby joined in. Kate came over, snickering slightly.

"Just a normal day at the office," McGee said, coming back from the restroom. Abby grinned at him.

"Normal?" she scoffed, watching as Tony tried to teach Ziva about American idioms again. "This place is anything but normal,"

**A/N: I think I'm finally starting to get the plot somewhat organized now…not sure where it's going to go from here.**


	4. Silence

Chapter 4- Silence

The next three days at NCIS were very tense. New cases kept coming in on top of the primary task of finding Kelly, and the stress began to show in each of the team members, particularly Abby. She continually grew more and more anxious about the problems at hand. There was Mikel Mawher, who seemed to be everywhere she went now. What he had to do with Kelly, Abby hadn't the faintest clue, but she vowed to find out, and soon. She came out into the squad room after a long afternoon of no action, suddenly interested in the conversation McGee was having with Gibbs.

"Boss, we have information on Kelly," he announced in a professional voice, but Abby could see the relief in his face. Gibbs said nothing, so he continued. "A civilian reported that he saw a van speeding down the highway the night she was taken, headed outside of town. The van crashed…I investigated, but there were no bodies, boss. Abby's evidence showed that the engine was faulty, so it exploded,"

"Is there any evidence on the girl's location?" Gibbs asked. "Any clues at all, probie?"

"Ah…working on that, boss. It's not very definite…" Abby shuffled forward, feeling like a ghost, partway there and halfway somewhere else she didn't want to be. The only one who seemed to notice her presence at the moment was Kate, who gave her a quick worried glance before starting in on her report.

"That's because you left before you found the good stuff," Kate said smugly. "The van had a few toys in it, probably to keep Kelly occupied on the journey and to prevent her from asking questions. A black sandal was left behind, so I'll send it down to the forensics lab for DNA scans…there was no blood, which is good news," Tony stepped in and added his information.

"Boss, we did ask around some more, and it looks like a blonde woman with a toddler were headed for a hotel somewhere in D.C. Holiday Inn. They checked out last night, but did not reveal their next location,"

"Find it," Gibbs ordered Ziva, who hadn't said a word the whole time. She nodded and quickly left the area. Kate came over to Abby, looking concerned.

"You seem worried," Kate said. Abby watched the others with a sort of feverish obsession, McGee in particular.

"Of course I'm worried!" she hissed, looking away as Tony started making references to the movie _Taken_ to anyone who would listen. "This is my child we're talking about here! My _only_ child, Kate. And last night I was trying to talk Timmy into having another one. If we lose Kelly-" Her voice broke, and she couldn't help the tears that slid down her face. She had been doing too much crying lately…

"Abs, we'll find her," she murmured. "Gibbs made a promise, and a Marine never breaks a promise. Rule number one,"

His fir-" Abby started, but Kate covered her mouth before she could finish.

"My rule number one, because I dated a Marine once before I even worked for the Secret Service," Abby sighed and wandered over to Gibbs' desk, where she had full view of McGee in action. He was looking around to see if anyone was watching, and his eyes fell on hers. They locked eyes momentarily, and then he looked away. Tony was on the phone with somebody, and it didn't look like he was talking to anyone who knew anything about Kelly's whereabouts. He laughed a lot and occasionally said something flirty. Her phone rang, and she went to the elevator to answer it.

"Hello?"

"I have your daughter. You want her back? Come find her…before it's too late," Dark laughter filled the small elevator, and Abby felt chills run down her spine. It was Daniela. "I'll be sending a little friend your way soon as thanks for letting me escape, Abby. I did have an interesting time terrifying the most fearless Mossad officer I have ever met," She laughed again, causing Abby's blood to boil in anger.

"Momma? Is that Momma?" a small familiar voice asked. "Can I talk to Momma?"

"Of course, sweetie," Daniela said in a falsely sweet voice. There was a brief silence where Abby tried to gather her thoughts. Oh, God. Kelly. She was okay. A huge weight lifted off her chest at the thought.

"Momma, Momma!" the girl exclaimed. "I'm scared! Who is the scary lady? She won't send me home! Momma-" There was a loud sound in the background, and the phone went dead. Silence. Abby stared in horror. What happened? Was there an explosion? Was the phone thrown across the room? One thing she did know was that this recorded conversation would have to be traced. And fast. Abby left the elevator in a hurry and headed straight for Gibbs, who was ascending the stairs to the Director's office.

"GIBBS!" she barked, causing him to jump slightly. She could feel everyone staring at her, probably wondering if she had lost her mind but this was her daughter, and when it came to family…you had to do anything you could for them, no matter the cost.

Yes, Abby?"

"I have recorded my conversation with the kidnapper. I need this to be traced, and pronto," She handed her phone to him, gazing into his sky blue eyes.

"Of course", he said, going over to McGee. She followed him, determined that this task be completed as soon as possible. When he stopped at McGee's desk, she ran into him. Gibbs spun around, staring at her with a mixture of annoyance and amusement in his eyes.

"What is it, Abs?" he asked.

Just overseeing the activities of the workplace," she replied vaguely, keeping an innocent look on her face. He gave her a suspicious glance and turned back to McGee.

"Probie, I need you to have the recorded call traced, and fast," he instructed, setting Abby's phone on the desk on top of his book _Rock Hollow_. He nodded and set to work at once. The Director quickly descended the stairs and strode up to Gibbs. _This does not look good_, Abby thought, reading her expression.

"I do wish you would quit avoiding the truth, Jethro," she said. You know and I know that these games are getting old. Just come out and say it," Gibbs nervously glanced at the others.

"Can you not do this here, Jen?" he murmured. "I'd rather that my personal life stays out of my business, as you said in the beginning,"

"Are you saying this is personal?" she countered in a dangerous tone. "Because I can _get _personal," Abby watched the scene with a mild interest, but was mostly annoyed. For the past three days, this sort of conversation had been going on between those two. She could tell there was still some sort of romantic connection in Gibbs and the Director, but she never bothered to ask what history they had shared in the years past. As she glanced back and forth, she watched as Gibbs struggled with his emotions.

"I thought you said-" he started, but the Director cut him off.

"Forget what I said. Just answer the question I asked you three days ago,"

"Boss, I know this is a bad time…" McGee faltered when he saw the look on his boss's face. He fell silent and quietly watched him.

"Yes, Jen. I still, and always have, loved you. Are you happy now, now that everyone knows? You didn't have to go to such measures," Kate and Tony exchanged a glance that didn't go unnoticed by Abby. It looked like they were having a conversation.

"I think we should get out of here before the Director explodes," Kate whispered to Tony. He nodded, and they edged out of the squad room and toward the elevator. McGee looked up from his desk.

"Which just goes to show how desperate I am…all I wanted was for you to admit it," the Director was saying as if nothing had happened.

"Boss, I found-" McGee tried again, but was silenced with a glare from Gibbs.

"At what cost?" Gibbs snarled. "You want me humiliated? I have a reputation which took me years to perfect, and now it will crumble within five minutes thanks to you," McGee looked extremely irritated and annoyed. He huffed a sigh and pulled out his personal laptop. The laptop was hooked up to the MTAC screen, so Abby could see what he was looking up. McGee was researching sign language. She watched him go through different words and phrases, intrigued by his actions. The Director and Gibbs continued their argument in hushed tones, but she paid no attention to them. Finally, McGee closed out of the program and looked back over at Gibbs. He shifted his gaze to the probie, who stood up and had a determined look on his face.

_The call came from an apartment complex downtown,_ he signed. Abby's eyes widened. Ziva entered the bullpen, but stopped in her tracks when she saw the scene before her.

"I see, McGee. Agent David, any word on their current location?" She started to speak, but stopped as the Director left. When the Director was gone, she started again.

"I have the address where Kelly is being held," she announced, holding up a sheet of paper with smeared handwriting on it. There was splotches of water all over it…Abby briefly wondered it if it was rain before remembering that there wasn't a single cloud in the sky right now. Ziva was _crying_? Abby took a closer look, and noticed the look on her face was composed. She could see the pain and worry underneath…and wondered what exactly happened to her daughter.

"Let's go, team," Gibbs called out wearily. Kate and Tony had just returned, and were slightly disappointed when they heard those three words for some reason. Abby joined him, her anxiety starting to return. He let her tag along in the van, but she sat next to McGee.

"Timmy, what if they hurt her?" she whispered fearfully. "What if we are too late?" He put his arm around her.

"Then we get revenge, but let's hope that won't be necessary," he replied. _Let's hope_, she thought as Gibbs started the engine and pulled out of the parking lot.

"Abby, are you okay?" Ziva asked.

"I will be when I know that Kelly is," she admitted. "How did that paper get wet?" Ziva hesitated.

"There was a leaky roof," she responded, not quite meeting her eyes. "You know how that is, right?"

"You care about Kelly," Abby guessed. "You really do, don't you?"

"I love her like a sister," the Israeli whispered. "How could I not? She's so endearing and her charm has infected me,"

"That's the Sciuto charm for you," Abby said with a smile. "Irresistible, huh?" McGee chuckled, tightening his hold on her just slightly.

"Not as irresistible as mine," Tony bragged, throwing a glance at Kate to see her reaction. She ignored him. McGee reached his free hand over to Tony and slapped him on the back of the head at the same time Ziva did. Kate smiled, but otherwise gave no sign she was paying attention.

"Ah, the life of a sexist pig," she muttered, earning a score of laughter from other team members and numerous glares from Tony.

(line break)

Gibbs answered the phone this time, knowing that the worst was over and he didn't have to deal with her anger and frustration.

"Jethro, I doubt the others will think any less of you for having feelings for me," Jenny said. "What would make you think that?"

"Paranoia?" he suggested.

"Anyway, that's not important anymore…or what I came to say. I know why you were so determined on this case, Jethro. Just make sure that whatever happens, it doesn't turn out like it did fifteen years ago. I'd hate to see you in another coma,"

"I know what I'm doing, Jen,"

"I'm just worried one of you won't come back,"

"You are starting to sound like Abby," he commented lightly. "Is it really all of us in general you're worried about, or just me?"

"Turn right here," Ducky murmured, speaking for the first time during the whole journey. He knew the area well and had the address with him. Gibbs nodded and twirled the steering wheel with much more control than Ziva would have, but less than McGee, the responsible driver.

"I think you know the answer to that question," Jenny replied softly. Gibbs noticed he was very close to the address Ziva had given him.

"I have to go, we're almost there. Talk to you later, Jen," He hung up.

(line break)

Any second now, they'll be here, Daniela thought. She stared out the window, watching the passing people heading into their homes as it got darker. Behind her, Kelly whimpered quietly. She smiled as she saw the familiar NCIS van pull in. Now its time to really have fun. She pressed the security button on the phone. The apartment complex used to be a hotel, so some features kept the place looking like a hotel. Of course, since it was private property, security had to keep it, well, private.

"We might be having an intruder soon," she said into the speaker.

"Any idea who we should look for, miss?" a deep voice asked.

"Just look for a bunch of people with NCIS jackets and demanding they get through the door. Don't let them in. Trust me, they mean trouble," A slight pause.

"All right then, we will be sure to do that," Kelly looked around in fear.

"Where's my mommy?" she asked in a small voice.

"She'll be here soon…" Daniela promised, gazing out the window again. The van door opened. She watched as Gibbs and his little servants came out and ran toward the building. One stood out to her. The one in black. Abigail Sciuto. She was in the back of the group, lagging behind. Daniela took this moment to make her escape, leaving the child behind. Show time. She pulled out her cell phone and dialed a number she had recently learned.

"Activate it," she whispered. Would NCIS ever get the surprise of their lives…


	5. Rescue

**Chapter 5- Rescue**

**Abby was at the back of the group, but she managed to shove her way to the front to see what the holdup was. Gibbs was showing his badge to the security guard. The large man shook his head.**

"**Sorry. I was ordered not to let you in," he said. Abby felt a jolt of shock. What? Not let them **_**in**_**? They were NCIS, for crying out loud! Who was coming, the President?**

"**And why not?" Gibbs asked evenly.**

"**I was asked to keep you out, simple as that,"**

"**By whom?" he demanded.**

"**I dunno…some lady up in apartment 3D, you know, the third floor, near the back? Has a perfect view of this parking lot. Guess the window is some strange spot or something," As the security guard rambled on, Abby could feel herself getting more and more frustrated.**

"**Let me in!" Abby commanded in a furious tone, startling the security guard. She glanced at his nametag. Dave Betterton. **

"**My daughter is in there," she continued, "do you want her death on your conscious just so you can 'take orders?'" The verbal air quotes were like acid on her tongue as she spat out each word in the familiar tone of resentment and frustration. Dave looked nervous. E didn't seem used to dealing with people like her. Hah, well wait till he had to deal with someone like Ziva. Then he'd **_**really**_** be having a field day.**

"**Madame, I-"**

"**No, you don't want that, do you?" she interjected, getting worked up.**

"**Well, I-"**

"**Let me in already," she repeated, putting her hands on her hips and glaring at the guard with such withering intimidation that Gibbs had to pull her back before she took things 'too far' as he said sometimes.**

"**Easy, Abs," he cautioned quietly.**

"**I suppose I could make an exception for this gothic lady here, miss…" He paused, looking at Abby expectantly.**

"**Abigail Sciuto, Forensics Specialist for NCIS," she supplied in a cold, professional tone as she flashed her badge for a moment, before replacing it in her lab coat pocket. He nodded and let her in. Abby stormed in and managed to find the apartment in no time. She kicked the door down and scanned the small living room for any signs of danger. Nobody was there, except for Kelly, who was tied up on the couch. Abby pulled out her knife and cut away the ropes, just as she sensed a presence behind her.**

"**Go outside and find Daddy," she whispered to her daughter. Kelly nodded and ran out of the room. Abby turned and saw Daniela over on the other side of the room, leaning casually against the wall.**

"**Long time no see," she called out, strolling slowly toward her.**

"**What do you want?" Abby demanded wearily.**

"**Just thought I'd drop in and oversee the upcoming events," Daniela replied, but Abby could tell by the look in her eyes that there was another motive here. She tried to leave, but her twin blocked the only exit. **_**Oh, great,**_** she thought sarcastically. The knife was still in her hand. She threw it at Daniela, but the woman leapt out of the way and it smashed the glass on the window. It was a floor to ceiling type of window, so there was a lot of glass on the floor.**

"**Enough of this nonsense," Victoria said, observing the now broken window and dazed Daniela on the floor. "The poisonous gas is already released, and you're the only one without any antidote. With luck, you will die quickly," She left the apartment, dragging her sister along. Abby sighed and went to go clean up the mess she had made. Her knife had skidded across the floor and was dangling on the edge of the gaping hole in the window. She swiftly picked it up and tucked it into her boot. She took one last glance around the tiny apartment. Nothing else here to harm her. She took a step forward, and heard a quiet meow at her feet. Abby looked down at the floor. A black cat that had seemingly come from nowhere was looking at her. Its yellow eyes gazed up at her with a sort of intelligent curiosity she had never seen in such an animal before. It shocked her slightly. She started to feel a little lightheaded. The cat meowed again and ran off into another room. Abby started to get a little worried as the room spun. She stumbled toward the couch to sit down for a minute. The dizziness seemed to fade slightly but returned the second she stood up again. She had to call for help. Yes, that's what she would do. As she tried to walk to the window, she lost her balance and fell into the glass. Pain, sharp and demanding, quickly made its message in her brain. Bright red blood flowed from her hands and arms, where all the glass was embedded into her skin. Abby struggled to her feet and limped to the window.**

"**Gibbs!" she shouted. No answer, but he was down there, waiting for her return. She coughed violently for several minutes. Her eyes widened when she realized she was coughing up blood. She felt a chill run down her spine.**

"**Gibbs…" The spinning was becoming too much to handle. She swayed back and forth. Her balance was way off. She gripped the broken window for support and ignored the increasing pain. Her throat hurt a lot, and she coughed again. Blood….everywhere…the room wouldn't stop spinning. She gave in to sweet oblivion, only feeling the mildest of shocks when she realized, faintly, that she had tumbled out the window. Everything seemed to happen in slow motion. Abby just barely held onto consciousness the whole time. Gibbs looked up in horror and called to Ducky to bring something, but just what, she didn't hear over her screams. She landed, very hard, on something, and the only thing she could comprehend was unbelievable pain. Why didn't the pain stop? Why didn't…her eyes slid shut before she could finish that thought.**

**A/N: Okay, I wasn't sure on how Abby falling out the window would work…I did the best I could, though. Originally it was longer but I had to cut out a whole bunch of stuff so it would be to my liking. That's the way editing goes…Chapter 6 will be up very, very soon, so stay tuned! Keep R & R-ing! Reviews make me happy inside, much in the way cookies do. So they're like virtual cookies. And I'm craving a virtual cookie or two right now…hint, hint.**


	6. Memories

Chapter 6- Memories

For the longest time, all McGee could do was stare at Abby. Even injured, she looked beautiful. Her black hair was taken out of their usual pigtails and now flowed gently to her shoulders. Her makeup was smeared slightly. McGee rubbed it off, and there was where he saw her true beauty. He could gaze at her forever. Suddenly, he felt a slap on the back of his head. McGee turned and saw Gibbs glaring at him.

"I told you, I need you to get Abby into the van," he ordered.

"Right, boss," he muttered, taking his fiancée into his arms and carrying her toward the waiting van nearby. He sat in the back with her, hoping the boss wouldn't mind. As Gibbs started up the car, he reflected on the years he had known Abby, and all the times they had shared before, during, and after she was pregnant. Life was a funny thing. You didn't know what you had until you were about to lose it.

"Hey," McGee was startled out of his daydreams. He looked up and saw Kate looking at him.

"Hi, Kate,"

"You seem kind of…lost," she observed.

"I'm supposed to marry her in June, Kate. Of course this is worrying me, even more than Gibbs I bet," He sighed, a memory coming to him…

"_Timmy, where are you taking me?" Abby laughed as McGee continued to drag her along._

"_Some place special," he replied. "I used to hang here all the time," He finally stopped at what used to be a library. It had burned down._

"_No…" he gasped, staring at the remains. Abby hugged him reassuringly. He felt a little bit better with her next to him. McGee hugged her back to let her know it would be fine._

"_Let's go see the inside," she said, starting for the door. He followed her, a little uncertain. Wasn't there someone here to investigate this fire? McGee decided that probably wasn't an issue at the moment. Inside, he felt a little sad at the sight of all the ruined, water-soaked books. Those books would never be enjoyed by children like he was at that age. Some of them couldn't be found at any other library other than this one. Abby stopped at the adult novel section, under mystery._

"_Tim," she breathed. "Come over here," He went over to where she was standing._

"_What is it?" She held up a book, one of the ones he had written. Deep Six. It was in perfect condition._

"_This is the only book untouched by flame…unaffected by water or smoke…Tim, what could this mean?"_

"_Well, where did you find it?" he asked._

"_Next to this singed one. All of the others are completely ruined. I'm a scientist, and I have no way to explain this,"_

"_I'm a writer, and I do. This book is the symbol of a miracle, and it means that my career is going to have a lucky break very soon," A moment later, it turned out he was right. A man came into the library, looking very professional in his tie and suit and briefcase in hand._

"_Are you Thom E. Gemcity?" the man asked. He nodded._

"_Yes, yes I am,"_

"_I work for Reilly Press and we are requesting a sequel to your successful novel. Bring in a manuscript as soon as possible, and I'll work with you to produce yet another bestseller," McGee and the man spoke for a few more minutes, and that was how Rock Hollow was born._

Kate listened to McGee talk, very interested in the memory that had suddenly sprung up into his head. When he had finished the story, she asked a question that he wasn't expecting to hear.

"Do you have the books with you?" she asked. "I never had the pleasure of reading either one,"

"Check with Tony, I think he has _Deep Six_ with him still," he replied. Kate slid back into her seat and didn't talk to him for the remainder of the trip. The memories overwhelmed him now. Abby in his arms. Abby, smiling at him. Abby holding Kelly for the first time. Abby showing Kelly her coffin, and the child clapping in delight. Always, Abby, perfectly happy, in the prime of her life…and now she was barely alive. A tear splashed onto her cheek.

"Oh, Abby," he moaned, gazing at her lifeless features. "Why did this have to happen to you?" More memories hammered at him, they couldn't seem to stop coming. If he lost her, this is all he would have left of her. That and Kelly, who would have to grow up without her mother. _No,_ he thought firmly, shoving the thought aside. She'd _have_ to survive. For him. For Kelly. For Kate and Ziva and Tony and Gibbs…everybody. Finally they arrived at the hospital. He carried her in, slowly enough so that Kelly could keep up beside him.

"Will Momma wake up?" she asked as they entered the hospital.

"Yes, she will," he said. "And she'll be fine…why don't you go find Kate and play with her for a bit?"

"Okay!" She took off. Memories…light and cheerful continued to swirl in his mind. He would be sure to never forget her if the worst came to worst.

Voices flooded around her. Abby knew they were talking about her, if only she could just figure out where she was. She couldn't even feel her own body. It was as if she were floating up above it somewhere in the darkness. It wasn't unpleasant, but it wasn't very good either. One voice sounded familiar, so she concentrated on that one.

"Abby…can you hear me?" It was McGee. How she wished she could answer him! But she couldn't feel anything at all, much less answer him. She tried moving her hands. Nothing happened. Nothing at all. She tried again, with the same result. She felt a twitch of irritation as McGee's footsteps headed away from her. That was when it happened. She could feel something…almost as if her fingers had twitched, ever so slightly.

"Abby? Abs?" The footsteps ran back toward her. She tried responding the same way, all to no avail. Perhaps it was all a dream. Abby struggled to open her eyes, and found that she could. McGee's anxious face peered into hers. She found her voice and spoke at last.

"Timmy…what happened?" she whispered frantically. "I remember falling out the window, and Gibbs was there trying to save me…do you know anything?"

"Your heart stopped beating, and he _did_ save you, Abs, it's just he was a second too late in catching you as you fell. Your spine is all tangled now, and the doctors aren't sure if they can fix it, but that doesn't mean they won't try. I don't think you'll be able to walk anymore, Abs," Her eyes widened as she took in this new information.

"Is that why I can't move?" she asked. "But just a second ago, I could,"

"I don't know, maybe you just got lucky," She sighed and looked around the room. White walls, white sheets, white hospital gown. Always too much white. Never any black or red or purple…

"I guess I was lucky," she murmured, but she didn't mean with being able to move. She had fallen three stories out a broken window and into a parking lot. She should be dead. The only reason she was alive was…Gibbs. He refused to let her die and saved her.

"I'll let you rest up, they're bringing you in for surgery soon," McGee said. He left the room. Her eyes fell to her ring, and memories of wedding planning stirred in her mind. She hoped the surgery would be successful. Kelly deserved better than a paralyzed mother.

**A/N: Plot's about to pick up again soon, aren't you glad I didn't kill Abby. Of course, that was never my intention…because ABBY IS AWESOME!**


	7. Break In

**Em: Thank you, that means a lot! I'm glad you like the story so far!**

**Liviharkness: Glad you think so, there's more to come.**

**Disclaimer: Don't own this, sorry to those who thought I did…and now…**

Chapter 7- Break In

"The surgery was a success…you said you wished to visit Miss Sciuto after hours? I'm not sure if that's allowed…" The man held up a hand to get the nervous intern to stop babbling.

"Seriously, it's cool," Mikel replied smoothly in a well-practiced convincing tone. "I'm a friend of hers. Just…don't tell them I was here, okay?" A thousand dollars, laid out on the desk. Money talks, it always does. The young woman's eyes widened at the sight of the crisp dollar bills staring up at her.

"I-Is this a joke?" she stuttered, counting the cash.

"Nope," he said, popping the 'p.'

"Go on ahead, the place is very quiet since not many people take the night shift around here," He nodded and headed straight for his precious Abby's room. Soon, all too soon, his plan would be set in action. He kind of felt bad that she had to end up getting hurt for this to work out better than he ever imagined, but there's no gain without pain, as he was always told as a child. That silly little rhyme was the only thing that kept him going sometimes. He stopped at the sight of Abby. There she was, fast asleep on the bed, just out of surgery less than an hour ago. He gently turned her over and took out a syringe filled with clear liquid. Mikel injected the entire contents to where he knew her spine would be. He took out another needle, turned her back over and inserted it into a vein in her left arm. Mikel continued the process until he had gotten the drug into all of Abby's major veins, including the one in her neck. On the floor lay at least ten empty syringes. Time to get rid of them…footsteps quickly started approaching the doorway. Scratch that. He had to get out of here. There was a window over on the other side of the room. He climbed out and quietly landed in the grass below.

Doctor Friedman came in to check on his charge, Abigail Sciuto, only to discover there were a good many empty needles on the floor. She seemed fine, though, so he didn't have reason to worry yet. But the empty needles were a little out of the ordinary. That new nurse must have been careless again, he thought as he picked up the needles one by one. As he threw them away, the doctor noticed that the window was wide open, letting in the cool night air and several moths from outside. He shut the window and started to leave. He had worked well beyond the end of his shift and it was high time he went home. Doctor Friedman left in peace that night, thankful that the spinal cord surgery was completely successful and he didn't have another thing to worry about.

Abby could sense that something was very, very wrong, but she couldn't figure out what. She tossed and turned in her bed all night, unable to go back to sleep. Her heart was racing, and she couldn't keep still for some odd reason. Maybe a little fresh air is what she needed. Abby got out of bed and yanked the IV out of her wrist, wincing at the resulting pain of doing so. Now she could go about freely and do as she pleased. She wandered down the vacant halls, generally ignored by the rushing doctors and frantic nurses. As she approached the other side of the hospital, she had the strangest urge to do…something. The feeling was gone as soon as it had come. She started forward again, when that strange feeling came back again. She paused. What was it she wanted to do, in order to make herself feel right again? Perhaps…no. She couldn't! At the internal refusal, she felt a flash of heat across her skin, followed by a wave of nausea that brought her to her knees. Okay…so she'd do it. Break something. It would make her feel better, so it couldn't be all that bad, right? She aimed a kick at the wall, and a part of it gave way. That was odd. She wasn't normally that strong. Oh well. Abby kick the wall again, in a different place. Another hole appeared. Instantly, relief came over her, coupled by overwhelming happiness. She skipped back to her room and went to sleep at once as if nothing had happened.

The next morning, the doctors were baffled at the destruction in the ICU ward of the hospital. Two holes in the wall, right next to each other. They couldn't think of anyone that could have been strong enough to do that, so they just decided to label it as a break in and repair the damage. Security would be amped up slightly, since there weren't nearly enough eyes at late hours of the night, what with many people living too far away to take the late night shift. Fewer than twenty doctors and nurses were available at that time, so it was common to lose a patient during that time. Doctor Friedman found Abby happily sleeping in. He smiled, just as she woke up.

"Good morning!" she called out cheerfully.

"Good morning, Miss Sciuto. Have you heard about what happened last night?"

"No. What happened?" she asked with a confused look on her face.

"Someone broke in and destroyed a part of the wall inside," he explained. "We're trying to figure out who did it, and why," Abby frowned. She did have a strange dream last night about wandering around…and terrifying images in her head, but the details were fuzzy.

"That's strange," she murmured, but she didn't mean last night's occurrences. Her IV was missing.

"Where's your IV?" Doctor Friedman asked.

"I don't know, it's gone," she said, becoming more baffled by the second. He leaned over and picked something up. Her IV.

"Here it is. It looks like you might have taken it off,"

"I don't remember doing that," she responded, a slightly frightened look on her face now. How could she not remember? Wouldn't she feel it? This most certainly _was_ strange! The doctor paused as he came over to her. There was plaster on her hospital gown. The same plaster from the damaged wall. Abby froze in shock. How did that happen? How did any of this happen? What _happened_ to her last night?

**A/N: Oooh, cliffie! It gets waay more interesting from here! R and R because I love virtual cookies. 1 review = 10 virtual cookies of joy. It should be an official unit of measurement...**


	8. Strange and Stranger

Chapter 8- Strange and Stranger

That very afternoon, Abby was discharged from the hospital, with odd instructions from the doctor that she be watched at all times due to something that had happened last night. Nobody thought anything of it, since she seemed to be completely healthy and behaving normally. Except for that undeniable fact that she couldn't remember anything that had happened last night. Not even McGee thought that was a concern. She'd remember soon enough. But as the day dragged on, and there was nothing but paper work to do, it was Kate that noticed something about Abby that was highly unusual. She kept messing around with her knife like it was some kind of toy, lovingly gazing at it. Moreover, her eyes seemed to flicker between green and purple everytime she did so. Kate couldn't seem to make any sense of it at all. She decided to see of Abby was playing a trick on her.

"Abby?"

"Mmhm?"

"What are you doing?" Kate asked hesitantly, confused by her behavior. And her expression was so casual, as if this were perfectly normal for her.

"Have you ever thought about death?" Abby asked dreamily, looking at her knife again.

"Not often," she responded softly, hoping she would change the subject soon and turn back into the old Abby.

"Isn't death fascinating, though?" she continued. "It's something that can only be experienced once, and as soon as it is experienced, there is no possible first hand account. I suppose that is where all the mystery originates about death...don't you think?" Kate nodded uncertainly as Abby suddenly locked eyes with her. Green eyes with purple flecks...she found this very unnerving. And it seemed everytime they made eye contact, more and more of the green disappeared, or was she just imagining that part? She shuddered and returned to her paperwork. Maybe this was all a crazy dream, and she'd wake up very, very soon to a normal life at NCIS where Tony wasn't a movie quoting "player" and Ziva actually tusted more than the absolute minumum amount of people and Ducky didn't ramble on and on about nothing...who was she kidding? This was reality, so she'd have to face it. Nobody ever said it was going to be easy. Kate sighed and glanced at Abby, and jumped a little when she realized the forensic scientist was inches from her face. Was this normal?

"Uh..." Kate mumbled, a little nervous and uncertain at what to do next. The knife glinted dangerously in the bright, cheerful lighting of the bullpen. It was in Abby's hand, and quickly approaching her throat. Abby's eyes were completely purple now, and edging toward black now. Kate quickly realized something was very, very wrong here. She twisted out of the way, panic rising inside her.

"Relax, Kate," Abby chuckled. "I just wanted to try something. It's a little experiment. You like experiments, right?" Kate didn't like the way she was speaking, as if she were completely innocent yet about to strike at the same time. How did anyone not notice this going on? She looked around the bullpen. Gibbs' desk was empty. Ziva and Tony were having an argument by McGee's desk, which was also empty. She started for the stairs which lead for the Director's office, but then stopped herself. What was she doing? She could handle things on her own. Kate twisted around to face Abby again.

"Abby, you're not in your right mind," she said slowly in an attempt to bring her friend out of whatever trance she had fallen into. Indigo eyes stared back, geting darker by the second. The knife approached her again.

"Whatever do you mean by that?" she asked innocently, smiling at her with a terrible sweetness.

"I mean that-" Her eyes flickered toward the stairs, where Gibbs was headed for his desk. "Gibbs!" He saw her, and then he saw Abby. Gibbs froze in surprise temporarily before recovering and srtiding over to the girls. The knife clattered to the floor, and suddenly Abby collapsed. Gibbs managed to catch her as she fell, being as protective of the girl as he was.

NCIS- Autopsy

Duck carefully examined the girl before him. He would need to get a blood sample of poor Abigail very soon so that Gibbs' unasked questions would be answered. Though the man had hardly spoken a word, he could clearly tell that he was confused. The only one who seemed to know anything was Kate, and she wasn't talking about what had just happened.

"I'm telling you, Ducky, I'll just sound insane," she had insisted before leaving the autopsy. He decided not to question it, and began preparing the needle for a small blood sample. Just as he injected the sringe into an exposed vein, his assistant came running in, panting for breath. Good old Mr. Palmer...he felt a twitch of amusement.

"Dr...Mallard..." he gasped, sweat rolling down his face. He patiently waited for Palmer to be able to speak. This had to be important. After a minute, he gulped and looked at him.

"Kate says that Abby went crazy. She was trying to attack her...oh, it was very strange! I've never heard anything like it! Gibbs will be needing that blood sample sooner than possible, according to him. You might want to hurry, before she wakes up," As he spoke, Ducky got the blood sample and transferred it into a small vial and handed it over to Palmer before he even finished his speech.

"There you are, Palmer. I do hope we find some answers, sooner rather than later. Do bring Kate by so I can hear the whole storym," Palmer nodded and left with the vial.

A/N: Oh, it gets much more interesting from here! Ha, I'm having too much fun with this! R and R, you know the drill. 


	9. Diagnosis

Chapter 9- Diagnosis

Gibbs looked up from his desk to see a much panicked Kate looking down at him. She stood there for several moments, seeming unable to speak.

"Well?" he said.

"I…something is wrong with Abby," she started.

"I already know that. What did the scan show you?"

"Nothing unusual. That's the problem. You said you thought there might be something in her bloodstream, but there isn't," Gibbs watched her face grow from professional to worried. He stood up and stepped around her.

"Ask her if she knew what she was doing,"

"But-"

"_Ask_, Kate," She sighed and turned to the elevator, which Tony held open for her. Ziva followed the two of them in, a curious expression on her face. Gibbs picked up his cell phone and called McGee.

"Boss?"

"Need you here, probie. Bring the kid if you have to,"

"On it, boss," The call disconnected a moment later.

Abby woke up entirely confused. What was she doing lying on the autopsy table? Last thing she remembered was…her mind telling her to do…something. Then it was all fuzzy from there. Was there something shiny in her hand? The more she tried to remember, the less sure she was as to what happened earlier. She quickly sat up and realized Ducky was there in the room with her.

"What happened?" she asked. "I don't remember anything after going into the squad room to hang out for a while and wait for a new case,"

"You of all people should know," Ducky responded, a strange expression on his face. That just confused Abby even more. She swung her legs over the autopsy table and jumped down to the floor just as Kate came in with Tony and Ziva.

"She doesn't remember anything, Caitlin," Ducky said before she could start talking. "I suggest for you not to waste your energy on asking questions that won't get answered,"

"What do you mean, she doesn't remember anything?" Ziva demanded.

"I mean, that young Abigail here doesn't remember anything that happened after she arrived," Ziva glanced at Abby, who had a puzzled look on her face.

"Okay, just what exactly happened between you and Abby?" Tony cut in. "We need to backtrack to find anything in her behavior that was unusual before she came here,"

"She was at the hospital before she came back, Tony," Kate reminded him. "None of us were there after visiting hours,"

"Except her doctor," Ziva said. "Let's see if he knows anything," They made an arranged agreement that Ziva and Tony would go together and snoop around the Bethesda hospital while Kate remained in Abby's lab and tried again to find anything in the blood sample to see if anything disguised it to make it appear normal.

McGee stormed into the bullpen, Kelly in tow. He strode up to the boss's desk and demanded to know what was going on at once.

"It's Abby. We're trying to figure out what happened to her," was all Gibbs said to him. McGee sighed and turned to Kelly.

"Where's Mommy?" she asked, looking around the area.

"She's with Ducky, do you want to see them?" Kelly bobbed her head eagerly, her black wavy hair bouncing around. They left together, and Gibbs was once again reminded of himself over fifteen years ago, when he used to have a daughter. He shook his head, a smile forming on his face as the Director came out.

"You seem happy, Jethro," she commented.

"Just remembering something," he said.

"Would it happen to be the time we went undercover and we had nothing to do-"

"No," he interjected, chuckling at the memory of it. A small smile spread on Jenny's face.

"I thought it was you in the first place that wanted our relationship,"

"Yes…but after I realized it wasn't possible, all those fantasies just went away as if they never happened. I didn't think anything more of it,"

"I see. Don't you want to try once more, though? The mystery of it is making me curious, Jethro,"

"Rule twelve," he mumbled, not looking her in the eyes.

"Forget about that. Come into my office where we can talk in private," He couldn't resist any longer. It was always her smile that captivated him, made him unable to refuse. Gibbs nodded and followed her up the stairs and into her office.

Mikel watched them all through his spy camera. Particularly the glorious Abigail Sciuto. He was interrupted by his phone ringing. He sighed and answered it.

"All is well here, Victoria. You're an impatient one aren't you? You know, that's what I like in a woman," His tone grew suggestive, but he meant Abby. It would always be Abby. No one else.

"That's not what I called about,"

"Then, what? I'm busy here," He felt a twinge of annoyance.

"There seems to be a complication…they're onto us. Already," By 'us' they meant him. He rolled his eyes. Paranoid twins.

"Not to worry, I've got it all under control," he assured Victoria.

"You sure?"

"Positive. Money talks. It always does,"

"Good then. What do we do about the others, to prevent them from coming after Abby when you take off with her?"

"Hm…just mix it up a little. It'll be exciting," Mikel always did enjoy a good show, and this was no exception. Abby would be his in a matter of days. He could go on just a little longer, imagining that fantasy just a few seconds further at a time until it became reality.

"All right then, one lockdown coming up," Victoria said. "Daniela and I will improvise from there, since you like surprises,"

"That I do," he responded proudly. Abby always surprised him. It was one of the many things he loved about her.

"See you in the Naval Yard at our agreed meeting spot,"

"Gotcha," He hung up and continued to watch Abby from his laptop. The camera was planted in the autopsy and trained to follow Abby around. Luckily this special camera of hiss design was too small to be detected. She had an agitated expression on her face, and kept looking over at Special Agent McGee and some kid he had never seen before. Mikel cursed under his breath. He wasn't anticipating a child! Now he'd have to get that innocent toddler involved in a mess that shouldn't involve children at all. He wondered if this was a setup to prove his dedication to Abby. It had to be. Guess he had to get rid of the kid too. No harm in one more body. The only question was how he'd isolate the girl from her parents. His eyes drifted to what was in her hands: a lollipop. Of course! The oldest trick in the book. No child could ever possibly resist sweets. Even better, she was too young to understand the danger of strangers, so it would be easier to trick her. The toddler left his line of sight, and he sighed in frustration. If only he could have Abby now! But he was forced to wait… he turned on the audio.

After almost an hour of waiting, McGee and the child left to go home. Just seconds later, Agent Ziva came in, a grim expression on her face. Agent Todd was behind her. In Kate's hands was an empty syringe.

"So, what is it that happened in the bullpen earlier?" Ducky asked. "Do enlighten me with the details," In short, clipped sentences, Kate told the whole story. Mikel didn't listen to that part. He'd already watched the whole thing. Then Ziva stepped forward and provided her own information.

"I spoke with the doctor, and he said, somehow Abby managed to be strong enough to rip out her own IV and put two holes in a wall last night. Knowing this, I asked the secretary for more information, but she refused to talk. Tony is with her in the interrogation room right now," Kate nodded, as if she already knew this. Dang, that stupid doctor, Mikel thought. He should've gotten rid of him when he had the chance. Guess it was too late for that now. "But there's more," Kate added. Ducky waited. "I examined the syringe, and it looks like it had some of the same drugs inside it as the ones in Abby's bloodstream," Great…now they'd be watching her constantly. Not to worry. He could easily break through security. It was child's play.

"I was drugged?" Abby blurted, speaking for the first time in a long while. "What if they find a way to keep the drugs in my system?" Mikel smiled. He was already two steps ahead of them on that. Her Caf-Pows would be laced with the drugs from now on. How ironic, since she loved the stupid drink so much. He didn't see what was so special about it. He closed his laptop and sighed happily. Very soon, he and Abby would be together. He'd attend to her every need, and keep her happy. It would be perfect.


	10. Asylum

**A/N: I realized that Kelly hasn't been a major part of the story for the past few chapters or so. I'll do my best to fix that. I think that is the only thing bugging me about the fanfiction. If it feels like I'm updating really slow…stupid life keeps getting in the way. Okay, so I don't own this, blah, blah, blah, belongs to Belisarius, yadda, yadda, yadda…all that stuff. All right then! Chapter 10!**

Chapter 10- Asylum

The next day, McGee was shouldered with the task to keep Abby under control in case anything crazy happened. Abby was being unusually quiet, which made him worry all the more. She was rarely this silent and still. Finally, she spoke.

"Is there a new case yet?" she asked.

"Yes, and you are the victim, Abs," he responded, thankful that the silence was broken at last. He could tell she was struggling with something. He walked over to her.

"What's wrong?" She wouldn't face him. Abby hunched over, her chest heaving. She was breathing heavily, he realized. What…? She started coughing a lot. McGee tried to get her to face him, but she twisted away, still coughing.

"Abby?" he asked, starting to become worried. She just coughed louder in response. He turned her around, and he could see a frantic look in her eyes. Bright green irises…he stared for a moment, distracted.

"I don't have control for much longer," she choked out between coughs. "The longer I resist…the sicker I get, Tim. There's no way to win here!"

"Wait, resist what?" McGee demanded as she coughed again.

"I don't know, it's different every time," she whispered, before her voice gave out. McGee gave her some water, and she carefully swallowed it.

"I'll go tell Gibbs," he said, leaving the lab. Abby nodded, sitting in the chair and suffering through the wracking coughs. After fifteen minutes of torture, nausea came to make things worse. It was around this time Kate entered the lab.

"Abby…has anything happened yet?" She shook her head, trying to breathe. She could feel herself slipping away, her awareness was fading very quickly, as if she were falling into a deep sleep. She struggled to remain where she was, but something dark was taking over, and she was forced to listen…that voice…that terrible voice…

_NCIS is your enemy. You must destroy them…permanently. It doesn't matter how. Just do it._

No…she shook her head and forced herself to focus. Kate was looking concerned, so she had to lie and say everything was fine. She was always being worried about, always being cared for. Like a daughter or fragile child. Though she was grateful for their concern, Abby wished they wouldn't worry so much. Sometimes it really was nothing. But she could tell that this time, for certain, she needed help.

"Kate," she whispered. "I can't hang on much longer, lock me up if you have to! I can't hurt any of the others…do what you must to put me out of harm's way," Kate looked at her with surprise.

"What do you mean, put you out of harm's way?" she asked. "I don't understand, Abby," As she spoke, the last of her control fell away. It was already too late. The last thing she remembered was mouthing the word 'Help' before it all went black.

Some time later, she opened her eyes and found herself in an unfamiliar place. What had happened? Fuzzy memories floated to her. Did she hurt someone? Was she hurt? Abby glanced down at herself and saw blood. It wasn't hers. Why was it she could never remember anything when she woke up? She decided to just forget about it and take a look at her surroundings. She was in an all-black room with no windows, so she could hardly see anything except what was under the flickering bulb above her. Black floor, black walls, black furniture. She smiled at the familiar color. Abby looked down at her outfit. She was wearing a red and black checked shirt with a short black mini skirt, combined with black tights and combat boots. Her pigtails were tied up with red scrunchies. She felt like a gothic Valentine's Day card. She matched the room perfectly. A little too perfectly…the door opened. Abby kept her face blank, though she knew the person that walked in and looked at her now. It was Mikel Mawher, her old stalker from several years ago.

"Hello, Abby," he said. "Welcome to my little asylum. Congrats, you are officially labeled as insane," Her eyes widened. No, no way! She wasn't crazy! There had to be a mistake! She could feel panic rising in her throat, but she refused to let it show.

"There has to be some sort of a mistake," Abby said slowly, hoping that was the case. "I don't even show the signs of someone who is mentally ill. How did you manage to diagnose me, then?" Mikel did not seem concerned.

"I have my way," he replied vaguely. "Besides, it was Agent Gibbs that gave the tip-off that something was up. I hired someone to speak with him personally, and then to drag you here when he gave the okay that the plan was set in motion. I've been watching you, Abby. And we will be together, I've made sure of that,"

"You won't get away with this," she threatened.

"I already have," He smirked when the horror showed in her face. She sank onto the bed behind her, feeling her heart sink. Would there ever be a way out of this?

"You'll be fed and cared for. Next meal's at noon," Mikel left the room, and she was alone once more. Abby laid on the bed and searched her boots for something to comfort her. She stopped when she came across something familiar. Her cell phone. She could call someone! She checked the phone. Battery was good, signal was good…Abby quickly scrolled through her contacts. It would be noon in five minutes. Five minutes was more than plenty of time. She chose a number she trusted, and waited for him to pick up.

_Meanwhile…_

Back at NCIS, word had gotten around that the great Special Agent Leory Jethro Gibbs had been fooled. It was the next morning, nearly lunch time. Ziva watched Kelly, fascinated by the way she observed things. It had taken her all of five minutes to discover her own mother had gone missing and that she might not come back. Smart toddler.

"I have been meaning to get her IQ tested when she was old enough," McGee said when Ziva asked him about Kelly's mental capacities. "I'm just not sure if Abby would let me," Ziva shrugged off the memory and looked back at the child. She had to get that girl some friends. Maybe Abby had a relative she conversed regularly with. That was when she remembered Abby's cousin. Didn't she have a child Kelly's age? McGee's phone ran, interrupting her thoughts. McGee answered his phone, his eyes wide with shock.

"Wait-slow down, Abs," he said after a long pause. "You're _where?_" Ziva immediately started to trace the call. Tony came over.

"Got anything?" he asked.

"No…the signal is being bounced around, I can't get anything definite," she said, frantically tapping at her keyboard. Tony squinted at her computer screen.

"We'll find you, don't worry about us," McGee promised, and then hung up. Ziva, becoming frustrated, leapt to her feet and started pacing around the bullpen. McGee's worried eyes followed her: back and forth, back and forth. Kate, having heard the whole conversation, came over to comfort McGee. Meanwhile, Kelly had a very confused expression on her face.

"Where's Momma?" she asked McGee.

"I don't know," he said. "We will find her, though,"

"I hope bad guys don't hurt Mommy," Kelly said. "Bad guys are mean to Mommy a lot, aren't they?"

"Yes, they are sweeite, but Daddy will stop the bad guys for you," McGee promised. "My little princess won't get taken again, I'll see to that,"

"Okay," Her blue eyes fell on Kate, who was starting at something on Ziva's computer.

"I want to see Jimmy," Kelly said after a minute. "Can I go?" McGee nodded, and she ran toward the stairs. Suddenly, the power went out in the entire building, except for the main screen. On it, a message appeared.

**YOUR TROUBLES HAVE ONLY JUST BEGUN, NICIS. GOOD LUCK TRYING TO FIND ABBY BECAUSE YOU WON'T. SHE IS MINE.**

The screen flickered off, and everyone stared at it in horror. For a minute, it seemed nobody was able to speak.

"What…the hell…what that?" Ziva choked out, frozen in place on the other side of the bullpen. McGee stood up.

"Oh, God! Kelly!" He ran for the staircase. Gibbs came out, looking very pissed off. Kate scrambled to head back to her own desk, along with Tony and Ziva.

"What just happened?" Gibbs demanded.

"The power's out, boss," Tony blurted, sounding like McGee for a second. Gibbs did not hesitate in slapping him on the back of the head.

"There was a message up there, Gibbs," Kate reported, pointing at the screen. She tried accessing one of the computers, but it was no use. They were nothing without the technology around them. She got a sheet of paper and scrawled out the message in her steady, looping script. Gibbs scanned the paper and tossed it aside.

"Looks like there's not much we can do till the power's back on," he said. Ziva held back a gasp of shock. She had never heard him say such a thing. Not much we can do…well, _she_ refused to give up.

"Where's the power fuse?" Ziva asked, getting to her feet.

"Outside the building," Gibbs responded. She nodded and sprinted down the stairs, not trusting the elevator. Besides…the power was out.

**A/N: I don't know it an elevator works if the power goes out…so I'm just assuming it doesn't.**

Their troubles had only just begun. What did that mean? Ziva was suddenly glad that she carried so many weapons on her at once at all times. She'd probably need them soon. And probably much sooner than anticipated. As she turned the power on and headed back for NCIS, a hand came down on her mouth and she was suddenly dragged away by someone a lot stronger than her.

The door slowly opened again, but not the normal way. There was a slot large enough to fit a tray at the bottom. A tray filled with food came through the slot, followed by a Caf-Pow. It was a cat flap, she realized. She devoured the food. Abby was hungrier than she thought. She took quick sips of the Caf-Pow, happy to have something familiar with her. But it tasted off. Sickened at the memory of being poisoned, she set it down after only drinking half of it. Abby suddenly felt very tired. As she crawled into bed, she wondered if the food she had been given was drugged. She was asleep before she could come to a reasonable conclusion.


	11. Getting Worse

**Disclaimer: I don't think Belisarius is yet giving the rights to me. Contract's still pending. Darn.**

Chapter 11- Getting Worse

_Autopsy_

The power suddenly came back on, and Kelly ran into McGee's arms, a frightened look on her face.

"Daddy, what happened?" she asked. "It was all dark, and Ducky says there's danger,"

"Shh, don't worry, sweetie," he murmured, stroking the girl's hair. "You're perfectly safe," This seemed to satisfy the child, and she started to leave the lab. McGee pulled her back.

"You better stay here," he said, going to the exit. "I don't want you to get hurt," She nodded, and sadly watched him leave. The look on her face was hard to look at. McGee tore his gaze away from Kelly and focused on the task at hand. Time to go report to Gibbs that all was fine.

_Bullpen_

"Where's Agent David?" Gibbs demanded as McGee came out of the elevator. Nobody seemed to know. "She's been gone for over an hour, even though the power is back on," Tony shrugged, but didn't seem terribly concerned. Kate looked a little worried, but confused as well. The Director came up to him, evidently very expectant of something. Gibbs ignored her, focusing on his team. He sighed, becoming more frustrated by the silence.

"Every time I turn around, another team member is gone!" he muttered. He turned, and saw Jenny less than a foot away from him.

"Hello, Jethro," Jenny said, smiling at him.

"Later, okay? I'm a little busy,"

"That's never stopped you before," she said suggestively.

"Let me find Ziva first-" The elevator dinged behind him, and he spun around to see Ziva stagger into the bullpen. She had her arm wrapped around her torso. Blood seeped between her fingers. More blood ran down her leg, gushing out of a long deep gash that exposed part of the calf muscle. She was white with blood loss. Ziva limped toward Gibbs, evidently in pain, and quickly losing consciousness. Tony ran over to investigate. She collapsed onto the floor.

"Call off the search," she croaked, coughing a little. "Or else we'll get much worse than what happened to me," Gibbs tried to help her up, but Tony beat him to it.

"I'll get her down to Ducky!" he shouted, carrying her toward the stairs. Gibbs wondered what she had meant by what she said just before her collapse.

_Far away…_

Abby slowly started to realize the reason why everything in here was black. It was soft, like velvet. Just like her coffin. She was living in her coffin. Or, what was left of it, anyway. She lay on the bed, staring at the ceiling. Everything seemed to be spinning, and she felt distant, more and more so as time went on. Last night she was told of what would happen during her stay here. Meals would come in three times a day. Lunch and dinner would include a Caf-Pow. It was just after lunch, and Abby was counting the tears in the velvet-covered ceiling to keep from losing her mind. She didn't want to fall asleep, though. Who knows what happened when she fell into that horrible trance…and if she resisted, hacking coughs rose in her throat, and a horrible fever burned all over. She had no choice but to give in to the dark force that suddenly took over her mind without warning. And then she'd wake up not knowing what happened. It scared the hell out of her, but she wasn't about ready to give in. There had to be a way out, right? Maybe she just should…stay awake all the time, and stay alert. That way, this…whatever this was couldn't catch her off her guard. It only possessed her whenever she fell asleep now. So, wakefulness meant she could be herself just a little bit longer. The door opened, and someone unfamiliar walked in. He looked to be about seventeen, and completely unsurprised at her presence.

"Hi there. So, you're the new patient here?" She nodded uncertainly, sitting up to face the stranger properly.

"Who are you?" Abby asked, speaking for the first time in hours.

"My name's TJ, and I'm in the room next to you," He looked completely normal. "I'm a cutter, like a lot of teens here. You know what that is right? Okay, good. Don't ask anything else, because I'm not telling you exactly how I ended up here. Not yet anyway," As he spoke, Abby could feel the dizziness fall away, and she was able to focus a little better. Then again, she _did_ find that Caf-Pow to be a little suspicious. TJ wore scruffy jeans, a cameo shirt and cameo baseball cap to match. His hands were in his pockets, so she couldn't quite see his arms.

"Oh, I almost forgot to ask. What were you sent here for?"

"Not quite sure," she responded hesitantly. "I think it has something to do with my stalker ex that drugged me to do all these weird things,"

"Sounds interesting," he chuckled. "I get around a lot, but I've never heard a story like that,"

"Well, I'm not like the other stories," she said honestly, a smile spreading.

"I never caught your name, by the way,"

"I'm Abby. I work for NCIS, are you familiar with us?"

"As a matter if fact, yes. I see you guys on the news all the time," He paused, looking at her with a curious expression. Realization colored his face after a moment.

"Wait…I remember you! You're the one who dated that psycho that basically runs the place, even though he's only a patient. What's his name? Mikel? Yeah…the manager is half drunk all the time, and he hardly bothers to check up on us, so he lets Mikel do whatever he wants just because he's a high-priority patient,"

"Well it was very nice to meet you, TJ. I'll talk to you after my dinner comes in at…I think at seven,"

"All right. I'm glad I met you, Miss…" He paused.

"Sciuto," she supplied. "But you can just call me Abby," TJ left, and Abby was alone again. She took out her cell phone and dialed a random number.

"Gibbs,"

"Hi, Gibbs," Abby whispered.

"Abby! Are you all right?" That seems to be a very common question these days, she thought with amusement.

"Fine. And you?"

"Working hard on finding you, Abs,"

"Don't worry about me, I'm perfectly safe here. It's the other patients I'm worried about," She glanced at the door, thinking of TJ.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean those stupid drugs could make me do anything. I'm afraid to fall asleep now…what if I don't wake up?" She knew she sounded like a little child, but she couldn't help it.

"Where are you?" he asked.

"An asylum," There was a long silence. The longest silence of Abby's life. Then the unthinkable happened. Her phone died. She stared in horror at the now useless device. Where did she keep her charger again? Oh, right. Her purse. Which was at her lab. _Please hurry and find me_, she thought. The afternoon was passing by much quicker than she had anticipated. Soon it would be night. And soon she'd get tired. And fall asleep. That is when the true horror would begin.


	12. A Twist in the Game

**A/N: Wow this story is already almost 16000 words! And 7 wonderful reviews! So, here is Chapter 12.**

Chapter 12- A Twist in the Game

_Naval Yard_

Kelly, sweet, adorable Kelly. She never failed to fascinate McGee. Every time she smiled at him, he was instantly reminded of Abby. She was now running around, occasionally bouncing her red rubber ball that matched her red dress. Her black sandals pounded fiercely on the sidewalk and were quite easy to keep track of. Fornell had come by for a visit and was also watching her.

"She's really something," Fornell said to McGee.

"Yeah…she's so much like Abby," he agreed. "I wonder if she'll grow up to be just as interesting and unpredictable,"

"Who knows? She's a smart kid," The ball bounced out of Kelly's reach, and she ran after it, toward a secluded area of the Naval Yard. A figure stood there, causing suspicion to rise in McGee.

_Meanwhile…_

"Here you go," a man said to Kelly. Her ocean blue eyes went wide at the sight of the lollipop. She eagerly took the piece of candy and stuck it into her mouth. The woman smiled at the child.

"Would you like to help me with something?" he asked. Kelly nodded, enjoying the butterscotch flavor on her tongue. "Let's go, then," She took the lollipop out of her mouth.

"Does Daddy know where I'm going?" Kelly questioned, looking over at McGee in the distance.

"Of course," Mikel lied smoothly. "He and I are old friends,"

"Okay," Kelly skipped after the stranger, hoping her red ball was somewhere safe.

_Autopsy_

Ziva groggily opened her eyes and sat up, wincing at the pain in her chest and leg. She really wished she had gotten the chance to rip Daniela apart, because now it was official. That woman was out to get her once again. As if once wasn't enough. Palmer sat at the computer, typing away. Ziva got off the table and tried to put weight on her right leg. It instantly buckled under her, and she wobbled a little in an attempt to remain upright. So far she hadn't made a single sound. Ducky was over with Palmer, dictating which files had to be sent to the Director. She limped over to the two of them, wondering why she was so dizzy before remembering she must have lost a lot of blood.

"Anthony, you may come over here," he called out quietly. "She is awake," Tony leapt up from his chair and went up to hug Ziva. She stiffened in surprise.

"I'm so glad you're okay," he said, pulling away at last. Still she said nothing. He seemed to had transformed since the last time she had seen him. Gone was the joking smirk and teasing sparkle in his eyes. What had happened to him? What…tragedy had he experienced to change him so completely? He gazed at her with genuine with concern.

"Who are you and what have you done with the real Tony?" she demanded. Her voice sounded rough from lack of use. She cleared her throat and tried again. "Where are your movie references, your constant jokes? Had I passed you on the street, I wouldn't have recognized you," Tony frowned as she spoke.

"I'm just worried about you, Ziva. You looked pretty bad when you came out of the elevator like that. You gave me quite a scare. I thought I was going to lose you…"

"You care about me," she whispered. "You actually care about me. All this time, I thought, I thought that-"

"That what, Ziv?" he said, his eyes softening.

"You resented me ever coming to NCIS," she mumbled, gazing at the floor. To her horror, she could feel tears streaking down her face. She never cried.

"That's not true," he protested. "What makes you think that?"

"The way you treat me," There was a brief silence. Tony took her hand in his and lead her to a chair. His touch sparked something in her that she thought she'd never feel again…this felt right, strangely.

"I'm sorry,"

"Rule six, Anthony," Ducky chimed in.

"Rule eighteen," Palmer reminded him. He grinned.

"For what?" Ziva asked, interested suddenly.

"For everything. Especially how we first met," She chuckled, remembering his awkward cover up.

"That could have gone better," she agreed. "But…I wouldn't have it any other way. If you weren't giving me a hard time about my English and constantly bragging about your latest movie weekend, I would be worried,"

"Really?"

"It's who you are. I am also sorry,"

"_You're_ sorry?" he asked in disbelief.

"Yes. I've taken you for granted more times than I can count. And guess what,"

"What?" 

"You've finally proved yourself to me,"

_Bullpen_

Kate ran up to Gibbs, grinning with excitement. He looked up from his desk, thoughts interrupted.

"I've got it! I know where that message came from!" she exclaimed.

"Go on,"

"That coffee shop Abby goes to all the time. You know, the one that has the Caf-Pow and the strawberry-raspberry muffins injected with caffeine-"

"Yeah, I know," he interjected. She stopped babbling at once, realizing she was starting to sound like Abby. His cell phone lay open on his desk. Kate glanced at it briefly before continuing.

"Not only do I have a location, but I have a time and date too. Five seconds before the blackout," He nodded and motioned for her to leave.

_Naval Yard_

McGee saw his daughter being lead away by someone, and he jumped to his feet. Fornell gave him a strange look before following his gaze.

"What's going on…oh I see," he said. "Go get her. I'll call Jethro if things go sour," McGee sprinted after Kelly. She was happily skipping along, oblivious to the danger. He hoped she'd realize very soon that the stranger was not a friend of his at all.

"I like to play with bats, don't you?" Kelly was saying. "Bats rock. Mommy says they are better than anything else. I miss her a lot but my daddy told me we'd find her one day," Mikel tried his best not to get annoyed by the babbling child. Maybe if he ignored her, the brat would shut up.

"Where are we going?" she continued, tossing the lollipop stick aside.

"My house," he said. "And if you're quiet, you'll be home in no time,"

"But I like to talk," she protested, pouting a little. "Zee-vah is teaching me to read so I can be really smart," _This girl talked a lot for only being three years old_, he thought._ She must be really smart for her age_. As they approached his van, Kelly started growing suspicious.

"This doesn't look like a house…" she murmured. Mikel, growing annoyed, picked her up and covered her mouth very firmly.

"One more noise," he growled, "and you'll never see your daddy again," She nodded, her eyes widening with fear.

_Autopsy_

Gibbs went into the autopsy lab and found Tony with Ziva. He was standing next to her, and they were in the middle of a conversation. Tony leaned in close to Ziva and said something. Suddenly, their lips met. Gibbs paused, curious. Was this a joke? After a few seconds, they broke apart and stared in shock at each other.

"Woah…" Tony said, loud enough that Gibbs was able to hear.

"Woah what?" he demanded, hiding a smile of satisfaction. It was about time those two got along.

"I…uh…Gibbs…" he stammered. Ziva snickered, but he could see a slight blush in her cheeks he was sure he'd never seen before. Gibbs approached them, ready to get on with business. It was high time they kept on the search for Abby.

"I need you to go explore that coffee shop Abby goes to. Kate traced that message to a computer there. See if you can find anything. Ziva, I need you to go home," When she protested, he just gave her a look no one could argue with. She sighed and limped toward the door. Tony got up and let her lean on him.

_Naval Yard_

"Get your filthy hands off my daughter," McGee growled, causing Mikel to turn around. Kelly squirmed in his arms.

"Why should I?" Mikel asked. "She willingly came with me,"

"You have no right to take her away from me," McGee continued. "Give her back, or I'll have to use force,"

"Wouldn't want to hurt your daughter, now would you?" he asked with amusement. He set Kelly down, and she ran to McGee for comfort. Fornell approached the group.

"Kelly, I'll take you inside," Fornell said. Sniffling, she followed him toward the NCIS building. McGee caught a glimpse of her face; there were tears in her eyes.

"Now what? You have no reason to attack now,"

"You kidnapped my wife," McGee accused, putting the pieces together.

"Where's the precious evidence to prove that?" Mikel said mockingly. "Where's…the DNA, the signs of a struggle, the hair follicles, the chemicals used to subdue her? I know NCIS better than you think,"

"I will find her, and you will be put behind bars,"

"Is that a threat? If I had boots I'd be quaking in them,"

"No, that's a promise. And if you escape again to hurt her, I'll be the one to end your life,"

"That's a challenge I'm willing to accept, but what about now? Don't you want to see me dead at your feet? Isn't that what would give you the utmost satisfaction?" Mikel smirked with satisfaction as McGee hesitated. All he needed was that moment of doubt. As McGee ran to attack him, he made his escape through the alleyway, disappearing into the shadows. Out of sight didn't mean out of mind, though. All he needed was for McGee to be just angry enough to come looking for him. Then he'd set the trap. It was a test that geek was guaranteed to fail. He never intended to truly kidnap Kelly. That was only step one of the test, his twist in the game he had too much fun playing. Messing with their heads was only his greatest pleasure. And seeing the looks on their faces when they realized their mistakes…priceless. Mikel chuckled under his breath and wormed his way through the city. Now he had to find a perfect time to show up again, so the test would begin.

_Bullpen_

Being alone was a curious thing. Kate never minded being alone. But this time was an exception. Every noise seemed magnified, and in her stress, she would jump in fright at the smallest sound. If only Abby were here to scold her for her paranoia! Or Ziva, one who'd understand it. But…they were gone.

"Boo," Kate shrieked, spinning to see…Gibbs. Oh. After a minute, her heart rate slowed down enough for her to be able to think.

"Good God, don't do that again!" she exclaimed. "I already have enough to be worried about,"

"You're the one screaming at the smallest noise…and you're the one who has to be worried?" Gibbs was amused by her statement.

"Never mind about that," she said quickly, eager to change the subject. "What happened with Ziva, by the way?"

"She was stabbed severely, and is being taken home to rest," he explained.

"Jeez, I ought to check up on her then. Mind if I make a run by her apartment?"

"Be my guest, but I don't think Tony would like being…interrupted," There was something in his tone that suggested that he knew more than she did.

"Okay…I'll just join Tony at the coffee shop to have his six, then," She grabbed a gun, her badge, her purse, and left the bullpen in less than a minute.

**A/N: I sure hope I'll have the time to finish this! I hate not being able to go on the computer when I want, whether it be because I'm grounded a lot or that this computer isn't even mine…anyway, R and R if you want to be on my good side… :)**


	13. Red, Black, and Room Thirteen

Chapter 13- Black, Red, and Room Thirteen

Blood on her hands. A knife on the floor. A dead body at her feet. What happened? She wasn't a killer! Was she? The image swam before her eyes, didn't seem quite real. So, so much blood! Who could ever bleed that much? More red on the floor. Other than the low lighting, it was pitch black all around. Black and red, to match her outfit that was now stained with this man's blood. How did she manage to kill someone…and not remember it? As the redness dripped from her hands, she tried to remember. She felt as if she had just woken up. The sleepiness was fading, but the confusion remained.

"This patient is unstable. Take her to Room Thirteen," a voice said. As she was lead away from the scene, more silent questions swirled in her mind. What was Room Thirteen? What was its significance? It looked like she was about to find out, whether she wanted to or not. She was shoved into a room, and the door slammed shut behind her.

"Hello, Abigail," It was Mikel. No…now she was trapped with him! And who knows for how long she'd be stuck here…

"Looks like my plan so far is working," he continued in the darkness. The blackness of night was so absolute Abby was sure that all the light in the world had been sucked out of here. She trembled in the dark, waiting for the most terrible of fates. Suddenly Mikel was very close to her.

"Just made a stop by NCIS to say hi," he breathed into her ear. "Now we can be together. Forever," He kissed her on the cheek, running his hand down her arm. Mikel dragged her over to a bed, and fumbled with taking off her shirt. Abby held her breath, hoping this was all just another nightmare she would wake up from. _Please…someone save me._ Her skirt was pulled down. She felt terribly exposed in the darkness. Mikel tore off his own clothes.

"I've dreamed about this for a long time," he murmured. "Now my dream comes true, and it's better than I ever thought it would be," He kissed her roughly on the lips, more messily than her Timmy would have. Was this really happening to her? There was no way! Timmy wouldn't let this happen. He would save her. Wouldn't he? She let herself fade away, feeling more and more distant. Abby let her mind wander back, and back…and back…to a time that was so long ago…way before she was in this room, before Kelly…before Timmy was her fiancée, before they were even dating or even met. She was horribly reminded of the time she was lead into a bar by a drunk stranger, and how she fought him off. Smiling at the memory, she kneed Mikel in the groin, grabbed her clothes, and stumbled off toward the door. She was violated now, no fixing that. She scrambled to get dressed, sensing Mikel near her. He cursed under his breath and staggered after her. Abby just managed to pull on her shirt and skirt and stumble drunkenly into the hallway. Her room was all the way on the other end of the hall. She ran as fast as she could, shutting out the sound of his footsteps behind her. As she approached the end of the hall, she was pulled into a room just a foot away from hers. The door was shut and locked tight. A light was turned on, and TJ worriedly looked at her. Abby glanced down at herself and blushed. Her shirt was inside out and her skirt was crooked. She probably looked like hell.

"You okay?" he asked, concerned.

"Not really," she admitted. "He…he…" she glanced at the door, feeling her heart race and her palms go slick with sweat.

"Raped you. I get it. Just…lie down for a minute. I'll check to see if the coast is clear," She nodded and obeyed at once, grateful that he had shown up at the right moment. But to her own horror, something in her mind decided that she'd had enough fooling around. That same something that made her kill that person. And TJ, poor TJ didn't know. He didn't know she was a monster. He had no idea…she clutched her head, begging for the voice to go away. Can't it leave her alone for once in her life? Once…just once. One chance. Just one was all she would need to fix it all. The voice was harshly demanding something new of her now. Kill TJ. Kill him, for he is not on your side. NO! She couldn't! He was an innocent child! She shook her head firmly, tears streaming down her cheeks. She could faintly hear TJ calling her name, but she was too far along the dark path now to answer him. Kill him now, the demon said. It almost seemed to take a physical form. Had it sucked out that much power from her mind already? She firmly remained where she was. Not again. She wouldn't hurt anyone else. No, no, no, she thought back.

"Abby? Are you okay? You look like you're going to pass out," TJ said, becoming very worried now. She didn't seem to hear him. TJ looked into her eyes. They were a dull green, and seemed to be staring at something he couldn't see. Suddenly, she blinked rapidly and snapped out of it.

"Thank God that's over," she muttered.

"What's over?" he demanded. "What just happened to you?" Though he didn't know Abby very well, he'd like to think of her as a friend. Ever since he met her, he never even thought once of his troubles. Only of her. She made him curious again, made him question things again like he used to. That was when he realized he was healing.

"Just some…weird thing," she dismissed, not looking at him. "I'm going back to my room before they find out I'm gone,"

"I thought they sent you to Room Thirteen,"

"They did. That is Mikel's room," TJ quickly put the pieces together.

"Don't listen to anything they say," he said quickly. "Mikel is probably controlling security around here,"

"All right. Well, I'm exhausted. I feel like I haven't slept for a week, Thanks for saving me. I'm glad that I met you, TJ," _Me too,_ he thought as she left the room.

**A/N: Sorry for the shortness. Time is limited for me. I have to cram in as many chapters I can in one day…until my mom comes home.**


	14. Plans

Chapter 14- Plans

The next morning, Kate returned with her information, practically bouncing off the walls with excitement. Every piece of evidence brought her one step closer to finding her friend. She glanced at the calendar, sitting at her desk. May 18th. The wedding was June 1st, as she recalled. Hopefully Abby would be found in time, and cured from whatever it is that happened to her…She shook her head and tried to get Gibbs' attention. He finally looked over at her after what felt like an eternity of waiting.

"I never saw you come back last night. Did you get anything?" She smiled and skipped over to his desk. Out of the corner of her eyes, she could see Tony kissing Ziva. Surprised, she spun around to see if her mind was playing tricks on her. Sure enough, when she faced them, she could see exactly what she thought she saw.

"Kate," Gibbs called out, redirecting her attention.

"Right. Info. I got tons of it, just like you wanted. Lady behind the counter says she saw some unfamiliar costumer come in the other day, not a regular according to her. He paid her not to say anything, but of course the second she saw my badge she blurted it out. Not much of a secret keeper if you ask me. Back to the computer he used. It was filled with the programming I had come across, and what it was protecting was all this stuff on asylums in the area. There are a total of three in the city, and two of them are nearby. Abby must be in one of them," As she spoke, her attention was slightly distracted by McGee leaving the bullpen, which she found slightly suspicious. Kelly was down with Ducky. The child seemed to have taken a liking to the medical examiner in the past weeks.

"Start looking up those asylums, I need results, and fast," Gibbs ordered, leaving the bullpen. He left his cell phone on his desk, unusual for him. Kate picked it up, curious suddenly. His last call was from Abby yesterday. Hm…looked like the call had ended right before she had come over to him. She hurriedly set Gibbs' phone down and set to work. Meanwhile, Ziva and Tony were focused on other matters.

"You think it's going to make a difference if the boss knows?" Tony asked.

"I doubt it," Ziva said. "I think he's happy for us,"

"I think so too," he echoed, staring vaguely at the wall. The Director came out, evidently looking for Gibbs. In that same moment he came back, surprised by her arrival.

"Hello, Jethro. We finally have a moment alone," she said.

"Not quite…your office, five minutes,"

_Autopsy_

"I like my new ball," Kelly said, bouncing a blue rubber ball all around the lab. Palmer watched her, a smile forming on his face. She was always wearing those black sandals, the ones Kate bought for her when she was almost three years old. She hadn't outgrown them yet. Perhaps they would be replaced. Kelly reminded Palmer of a girl he had a crush on in high school, who always wore her rainbow scarf whether it was hot or cold. The door opened, and McGee walked in.

"All right, let's go get you some lunch, honey," he said, leading Kelly away from the lab. Palmer watched them leave. He took another swallow of his shot of wine, momentarily lost in the past. He normally didn't drink, but the worry of Abby's whereabouts was especially killing him right now.

_Naval Yard_

Mikel needed a way to lure McGee out here. He already used Kelly, and he doubted he could pull off bringing her out here again. Perhaps it was time he finally gave a clue to NCIS. Another blackout, or distract them with something else, so he could string together a new plan? Something else it was…he pulled out his cell phone and started to dial.

"How do you suppose we infect someone with malaria in a fool-proof way?" he asked.

"Ah, I see your creativity is showing," Victoria noted. "You let me handle that. I've got dozens of _Plasmodium falciparum_ down in the lab. It will take some time, but eventually anyone bitten by any of these creatures will get sick," 

"Where do you get all this stuff?" Mikel asked in admiration. "It's like you really know me. Well, you do," He chuckled for a moment before regaining his focus.

"Yes, well it will be at least a week before we see any signs of someone bring sick…in the meantime, what should we do?"

"I was planning on slowly giving out clues to lure out McGee. He's set on getting 'revenge' and I want to see how far he'd be willing to take things,"

"You learn fast, Mikel. I'm impressed,"

"I've learned from the best,"

"Indeed you have,"

"Crap, someone saw me!" He disconnected the call and hid in the bushes. The Director of NCIS walked past his hiding place and looked around.

"Are you sure this is where you've been seeing him, McGee?" she asked.

"Y-Yes, Director. He was right here with Kelly, and just…let her go,"

"Well, what do you have to worry about then? He didn't harm her,"

"I still want my revenge," As they spoke, Mikel crawled out of the bushes and made his escape to the nearby bar. _That was close_…_too close. I have to be more careful._ He caught his breath and ordered a beer and downed it in less than a minute. Just an ordinary afternoon on the run. But without Abby near, it was useless. He paid for his drink and left the place in disgust. He wasn't even in the mood to get buzzed, like he was the other night…he smiled at the memory of her warm, soft body close to his, her lips on his…

"Watch it, man!" a voice barked at him. Mikel blinked in surprise. He had run into an innocent civilian. Now he would be known by someone else. He had to run. Panicking, Mikel called a cab and jumped into the vehicle.

"Where to?" the driver asked in a casual tone.

"Vanadium Asylum, up on 5th,"

"It's gonna cost ya," the driver warned.

"I've got cash," Mikel counted out seven hundred dollars and gave it to the large man. He glanced at the bills, nodded, and pulled out of the area. Mikel was paid well by the drug dealers in the street. He constantly needed a fresh supply of his precious pills that gave him such delicious images that no one else saw or understood. One would call him insane, but if it gave him pleasure, who should stop him?


	15. Setback

Chapter 15- Setback

Kate trudged into the bullpen. It had been almost a week. A few days ago the lab had gotten swarmed by mutant mosquitoes. Some of them attacked her, but she'd had no lasting effects. It was the first day she was able to go in there since then. But that wasn't why she was reluctant to go into work today. The moment she woke up, she knew it was going to be horrible. She had a pounding headache that wouldn't go away, even with taking some aspirin. Exhausted from her long night of deciphering a clue McGee had gotten about Abby's location, she shuffled downstairs into the lab. At the sight of the stereo, Kate was suddenly reminded of Abby all over again. Her headache got worse, if that were possible. She also felt cold all over. She shivered and pulled her thin jacket tighter around herself. Kate turned the heat up a little and went to go get some coffee. As she turned to go back to the lab, she saw Tony approaching her.

"Hey, any word from Abby?" he asked quietly. She shook her head, taking a sip of coffee. He had been asking this a lot since he started dating Ziva. Speaking of…she looked around.

"Where's Ziva?" The million-dollar question.

"With Gibbs investigating one of the asylums," Kate shivered again. It was very cold in here, more so than normal.

"You cold?" 

"Yeah, a little. It's freezing in here today,"

"Here, wear my jacket for now. I'm going to call Ziva and check on her," Kate went back to the lab, prepared to work now. As she started up the Matro Mass Spector, the shivers came back with more vigor than before. Her teeth wouldn't stop rattling around in her skull, and her back hurt really bad…actually, she ached all over. Shuddering, she turned the heat up again. It didn't help very much. Her muscled felt as if she overused them all the night before at the gym. Maybe a little sleep would help. She collapsed into a chair and shut her eyes, planning to only take a short nap. It was just a fever. It would go away in a matter of hours. She just had to suck it up and deal with it. Not long after she tried to get some rest, Ducky came in with Kelly, and that was when she remembered it was her turn to watch the kid for the day. Ducky always had her in the mornings, and traded off at lunch time. So, naturally, Kelly was closest to Ducky, but she liked Kate a lot too. She struggled to ignore the constant pounding in her head and stood up to greet them.

"Good afternoon, Caitlin," Ducky said warmly. "I trust you rested well last night?"

"I slept fine, Ducky. How is McGee holding up? I haven't had the chance to speak with him," He hesitated.

"Not sure," he replied after a moment. "I ought to ask him," Kate nodded.

"I don't know if I'll be able to watch Kelly. I'm feeling a little under the weather. You think Tony could take my Kelly watch and I could take the next one?"

"I think I can make that work. Are you all right?" Ducky looked closely at her with concern.

"I'll be fine. It's just a cold. I don't want her to get sick, that's all,"

"How wise and thoughtful of you, Caitlin. I'll make note of that," He motioned for the child to follow him.

"I thought Katie and I were gonna play," Kelly whined, pouting a little.

"Sorry. She is sick today. Maybe tomorrow, Kelly. I'll bring you to Anthony,"

"Who's that?" she asked, a look of confusion on her face.

"Tony. Let's go,"

"Okay!" After they were gone, Kate sat in the chair and sighed. She felt horrible. Maybe she should go home. But Gibbs would be so disappointed if he found out she had quit in a matter of a couple hours due to a mild fever. She had to be tougher than that. So, groaning quietly, Kate got to her feet again and logged into the computer. It was so, so cold in here! It was like an arctic wind blasting into the core of her bones on a winter solstice, the shortest day of the year. She was starting to get tunnel vision, which meant she was about to collapse. Before she could react, she was on the floor.

_Later…_

Kate woke up and scrambled to her feet. Shoot, she just fainted! There was no way she'd be able to hide this from everyone else. That was when she realized she was still wearing Tony's jacket. Tony would probably want this back. She peeled off the jacket, and ignoring the shivering and aches, went off to find him. On her way to the elevator, she found McGee, who was apparently deep in thought about something.

"Working on a new novel idea?" she quipped.

"No, just thinking," he said.

"Abby?" she guessed. He said nothing. She got into the elevator with him, and she pressed the number 3 that lead up to the bullpen, her destination. The ride up was silent, with her trying her best to act normal and not like someone who was freezing to death with a jacket in a seventy-five degree building. Finally, the elevator dinged and the doors slid open with their typical smooth precision. She shakily started over to Tony, who was no longer on the phone, but playing a peek-a-boo game with Kelly. He looked up as she approached him, curious by her behavior.

"Hey, if you're that cold, just keep the jacket," he said, rolling his eyes.

"O-okay," she stuttered, putting the jacket back on.

"I don't remember you ever getting cold before. Usually you're like a polar bear, and wear t-shirts in freezing weather. What's going on with you?"

"I'm f-f-fine, Tony. I j-j-just am a little c-c-old," Instead of laughing like he normally would, he frowned. Ever since he started dating Ziva, he had become slightly less joking and a little more sympathetic and caring.

"I think you're sick. Time to go see Ducky," She rapidly shook her head, fighting the dizziness even as it came. She felt a little nauseous now. The room spun in a very uncomfortable way.

"You look about ready to pass out, Kate. Let's go," Tony let her lean on him as they headed for the elevator. Suddenly, she felt so horribly sick and ran to throw up into a nearby trashcan. When her stomach was empty, she shuddered and wiped her mouth. Tony came over, concerned.

"Come on, Katie. You look terrible…" For once, she didn't mind the stupid nickname he had given her. He was worried, and she wouldn't put up a fight. Kate was vaguely aware of the ride down to autopsy and being carried. She couldn't feel the coldness of the table, that's how cold she was.

"What do we have here?" she heard Ducky ask. She could hardly hear Tony's response over her chattering teeth. Next thing she knew, there was a thermometer in her mouth and Ducky was checking her pulse.

"103 point two," he said after taking the thermometer out. "You should be in bed," Kate tried to sit up, but the dizziness was too much, and she lay back down again.

"I'll be fine," she mumbled. She felt exhausted and presently started to fall asleep. She was roused by Tony carrying her outside and to his car, but fell asleep as soon as she was set down. When Kate woke up, she was wrapped up in several blankets and on the couch in her apartment. She shuddered, feeling clammy with sweat. Tony was on the phone, talking to Ziva.

"I'm sorry, but Kate is really sick right now and I have to watch her," he was saying. Her stomach was in knots. She untangled herself from the blankets and crawled toward the bathroom. When she came back, Tony had hung up, looking slightly upset.

"What's wrong?" Kate asked, getting back on the couch. She felt so tired, like she could sleep for a week and still be as tired as she felt right now. But curiosity was keeping her from falling asleep.

"Ziva is mad because I didn't answer the phone earlier. She thought I was ignoring her. She'll be over in a bit, because she wants us to do something together,"

"Oh…" Kate promptly went to sleep after that. All through the remainder of the afternoon and night, she tossed and turned, alternating between shivering and sweating in a pattern that seemed vaguely familiar to Tony. Ziva silently watched her, observing.

"You sure this is just a fever?" she asked faintly. It was now past midnight, but neither of them were tired.

"Ducky didn't say. Maybe we should take Kate in for a blood test just in case,"

"Let's cross that wall when we come to it," she said.

"Bridge," Tony corrected automatically, earning a smack on the back of the head. Kate moaned and threw up into the plastic bucket next to the couch. They were quiet for several minutes. Ziva sat on the floor, and Tony quickly joined her.

"I love you," Ziva whispered, leaning her head on his shoulder. Tony's eyes widened.

"I love you too," he whispered back. It was the first time he had ever meant it.

**A/N: Major thanks to Wikipedia for providing the information I needed on malaria. You didn't think I made it up did you? Ha, as if! I do my homework when it comes to things like this. Thank you so much for all the positive feedback. I don't know what I'd do without all you fans reading my every word and having something to say about it. Each and every review makes me smile. Anyway, the plot should be picking up again…just fooling around with this Tiva to see if it fits in with the plot at all. And if it doesn't I'll be sure it dissipates….if it wants to. Love is weird like that. Chapter 16 to be coming up soon. My goal is to make this my longest story, word wise and chapter wise. So in order to do that I need to stop making my chapters so short(as in scarcely a thousand words). Yell at me if I start forgetting and doing that again.**


	16. Torture

**A/N: What I'm going to be doing first is going back in time a little, to six days ago, then forward to the present. I thought I should tell you that to avoid any confusion. Anyway, my other stories should be updated soon…sorry this one took longer than usual, stuff got in the way. Uh…Chapter 16, here we go!**

Chapter 16- Torture

Day One. Abby was chained to the wall and didn't have anything to eat or drink all day. Not a big deal.

Day Two. She was beat around a little by Mikel. He wanted her to give in to him. She refused by remaining silent.

Day Three. Mikel beat her up even more now, and even used his knife to freely slice her skin apart.

Day Four. She was blindfolded and given headphones and unchained, put somewhere isolated where she couldn't feel anything. An isolation tank. It was horrible, especially when she was taken out of the thing.

Day Five. She was put back in those iron chains that were beginning to rust, and he began the whole process over again. She still hadn't had anything to eat or drink, and she was becoming very weak.

Day Six. Left alone all day. She mostly slept, since she didn't get to do much of that when Mikel was torturing her.

Today…Abby stared at the wall, her eyes glazed over with boredom. Why wouldn't something happen? Why wouldn't they come rescue her? This was horrible…at least let her be unchained. The door opened and TJ came in. She sighed with relief at the sight of him. The past six days had to have been the worst of her life. TJ came up to her and tried to unchain her, all to no avail. At any rate, she was glad to see him. But it didn't win over her struggle with giving in to complete hopelessness. So her smile was only very small as he sat on the floor near her.

"This sucks," he said. "We're the only two patients remaining here...and I could've sworn there were more. But most of them must have rotted away, killed themselves or each other, or maybe just ran away,"

"Why don't you run?" Abby asked dully, wanting to hear another voice besides her own.

"Can't," TJ answered. "I don't have a place to run to," She thought for a minute, listening to the silence.

"Maybe when all of this is over…you can live with me, my husband, and my daughter," she offered. "We can do all the paperwork and adopt you, if you wish," TJ blinked in surprise.

"You'd do that for me?" he asked in disbelief.

"It's the least I can do; you've kept me sane in this prison,"

"How ironic," he muttered. Abby laughed, but it was staccato and false and didn't sound like her. She couldn't keep up the façade for much longer. Finally she let her head fall forward, giving in to the crushing hopelessness. Time didn't seem to mean anything anymore. Nor did she care if the sun went down or if TJ left the room. She was only half certain those things happened, because she was only half there.

Ziva was in the middle of trying to keep Kate cooled down when her phone rang. She answered it at once and went into the next room so she wouldn't wake Kate up. Tony remained in the living room.

"Hello, Gibbs. Updates?"

"Meet me at the other asylum. I have a warrant finally. It was the only thing holding me back form busting into the place. You got the address, right?"

"Yes, I'll be there in ten minutes,"

"Make it five and we're good," She snapped her phone shut, ending the conversation before Gibbs could, a feat she had only recently managed to accomplish under serious pressure, and wanting to show off to Tony. She went back into the living room after having made sure she had all her weapons secure in place.

"Leaving?" he guessed just as Kate jolted awake and blinked around in temporary confusion.

"Wha…oh yeah," she mumbled, remembering where she was.

"Lie down, Kate. I have to call Ducky and talk to him. I don't think this is just a fever…this isn't normal,"

"Okay…"

"Tony, I have to go rescue Abby," Ziva said.

"Go, then. You don't need my permission,"

"I just want to let you know, in case the Abby we get back isn't the Abby that was taken away from us," He frowned, thinking about her statement for a moment. Then he realized what she meant.

"I see. Where is Kelly?"

"With McGee, which I don't think is a concern for either of us,"

"When was the wedding again?"

"June 1st,"

"That's really soon. If Abby is…" Ziva leaned down and kissed him on the cheek. He fell silent in surprise, and then she left the apartment to climb into her Porsche. Ziva drove off at a maniac speed, weaving through traffic and just barely getting there in Gibbs' time limit without being ticketed at almost eighty miles per hour and nearly causing four highway accidents. She slammed on the brakes, parked the car, yanked the keys out of the ignition, and ran up to Gibbs, who was waiting for her on the side of the road.

"You, search the area," he ordered. "I'll find Abby," The asylum was small, with one hallway that had nothing but desks and chairs in each room, and another than had rooms mildly set up like bedrooms. Almost every single room was empty. Almost…she had to check the other hallway again, on the other side. The first room. Empty. Gibbs stopped several doors down. He was frozen in place.

"Ziva," he choked out. Suddenly, she knew, and went over to him. She followed his gaze. There was an unconscious Abby, chained to the wall and covered in bruised and deep gashes. The only sign of life from her was the small movement of her chest that showed she was breathing. But only barely. The thing that shocked her the most was what was on the walls and floor. Nothing but black velvet. Ziva carefully tore some up, and found stone floor underneath. This was the same velvet in her coffin. The wood was made from the wood around the velvet. Abby was living in a recreated version of her own bed. The thought made Ziva a little sick. But she couldn't deny the evidence.

"Get…get her out of those chains," Ziva whispered. "I'll go see if anyone else-"

"Who are you?" a low growl came from behind her. Ziva spun around to face a teenager that looked to be seventeen.

"Agent Ziva David, formerly of the Mossad, now with NCIS," she stated coolly. "Do you know of anyone that may have brought Abby here?"

"Know him?" the teen snorted. "He lives right down the hall. Careful, he's a little unstable with all those illegal drugs he stashes somewhere,"

"I'm sure I can manage," she snapped sarcastically, stomping down the hall to where he hand pointed. The door had a large black number 13 painted on it. None of the doors had a number, so she wondered what this meant. Finally, she decided to ignore it and just kicked the door down. There lay the body of Mikel Mawher, the man that had given Abby so much trouble in the past. It was a poorly staged suicide, but Ziva could clearly tell that this was murder.

"I never caught your name, by the way," she called out. The teenager appeared in the doorway.

"My name's TJ. I befriended Abby not long after her arrival,"

Ducky came over to Kate and carefully examined her. Tony watched anxiously from where he stood. He was very worried about Kate, and hoped it was nothing serious. After a minute, Ducky looked up.

"How long has her fever been over 100?" he asked.

"For the past six, seven hours," Tony replied tensely.

"Not good…" Kate shivered violently, burrowing herself deeper into the blankets. Ducky frowned, becoming worried.

"Can you make a diagnosis, Duck?" Tony questioned.

"I'm not positive, but I think she has malaria. It's very common in Africa, and the disease is often associated with poverty. She may have contracted it from those mosquitoes that attacked her sometime last week in the forensics lab,"

"That would make sense," he agreed. "What do I do now?"

"Nothing can be done until I find proper medication for Caitlin," Ducky said.

"This would be a great time for a pharmacy to be opened after their usual hours," Tony muttered.

"What about that twenty-four hour place downtown?"

"Closed down," Ducky sighed and watched Kate for a minute, who continually drifted in and out of consciousness. She hardly remained awake for more than a few minutes at a time, which meant the illness was very serious. Tony sat on the floor by her head and tried to cool her down, but it was very hard because she didn't keep very still in her sleep. After an amount of time Tony didn't care to measure, his cell phone rang. He glanced at the caller ID. Gibbs.

"Dinozzo,"

"Found Abby. Get Ducky over to NCIS at once," Tony glanced at Ducky, who looked up.

"Duck, get Kate in the car," he muttered, covering the speaker with his hand. "I'll drive. Boss needs us at headquarters,"

"I don't think that is advisable-"

"Hurry, Dinozzo! She's barely breathing!"

"Okay, boss," The call disconnected.

"Just do it, Duck. Advisable is the last thing on the boss's mind right now. I guess it'll be your job to make sure she doesn't wake up and vomit all over the place. I'm going to start driving like Ziva if that's what it takes to save Abby,"

McGee was startled awake by a call from Gibbs. He just told him to be at NCIS right away and to bring Kelly with him. McGee reluctantly woke the child up and took her to the car after getting dressed. Kelly fell asleep on the way, so he had to carry her in. Gibbs and the others were gathered in the autopsy, forming a ring around the table. At first, his mind thought that it had come to the worst, and that Abby was dead. But then he saw Ducky with a thermometer instead of scalpel, and McGee relaxed slightly.

"Not to worry, she only has a mild fever," he announced. "99.5, not a terrible concern. Though I do wish she would wake up to see how fine she really was…" McGee realized someone was missing.

"Where's Kate?" he asked.

"Hospital, McGee," Gibbs answered. "Her illness was more serious than calculated, according to Ducky," Ziva and Tony looked half-awake, slumping against the wall in the background. Palmer had fallen asleep standing up next to them. He had dark circles under his eyes and lines of exhaustion in his face. The Director was even there, standing behind Gibbs. She was the most alert out of all of them. Kelly rubbed her eyes sleepily and woke up.

"Daddy, did they find, Momma?" she asked as he set her down.

"Yes," he whispered. "But be quiet, she's sleeping," As he spoke, Abby stirred very slightly. Everyone seemed to be holding their breath.

"Now it's only a question as to when she wakes up," Ducky murmured, gazing at the inert scientist.

"Very soon," Gibbs said.

"I don't want to wake up yet…" Palmer mumbled, earning a kick from Ziva. Palmer jolted awake and looked around.

"Aw, man!" he complained, rubbing his leg. "Why'd you have to do that?"

"Shh!" Ziva hissed. Tony chuckled, but quickly stifled his reaction when Ziva glared at him. Abby's eyelids fluttered, but closed again. She moaned softly. McGee knew she would wake up very soon now and realize she was safe. He looked down at Kelly, who was patiently waiting on the floor. She wasn't even going around and asking her curious questions like usual. Abby turned over, nearly falling off the table. This waiting was killing him. He wished she were awake right now, so that they could go ahead and get home. Very slowly, Abby's eyes opened. She yawned and sat up, her green eyes blinking in confusion, then surprise, and then finally, he could see relief in her face. There was total silence in the autopsy. Even Tony had the sense to shut up at a moment like this. After what felt like an eternity, Abby spoke.

"Where's my Caf-Pow?"


	17. Recovery Is A Bumpy Road

Chapter 17- Recovery Is a Bumpy Road

While everyone celebrated Abby's return, Ziva took stock to her injuries now that the adrenaline had worn off. Tony noticed her grimace in pain, and turned to her.

"You okay?" he murmured sleepily.

"I am fine," Ziva lied smoothly. "You just go celebrate with the others. I just need to rest a little," He shook his head and stayed put.

"You nearly got stabbed to death, and you're just going to brush it off like it's nothing?" Ziva glanced down at her leg. When she had gotten out of the car, it had scraped against the door and reopened the wound. She had ignored it, thought nothing of it. Now, it was still bleeding from earlier. She'd need stitches now.

"I suppose you're right. Do you know how to sew up a wound?" Ziva asked.

"No, but I do," Palmer cut in, looking down at the two of them.

_Meanwhile…_

"Oh, Abs! I'm so glad to see you're okay!" McGee exclaimed. "I was so worried that you'd be…" his voice broke, and he squeezed her tightly. Everyone generally said the same sort of thing; even the Director couldn't hide a smile of relief. Abby was more herself again after a hearty meal provided by Ducky and a large glass of water. McGee moved aside to give her some time alone.

"Can I have a minute alone, Ducky?" Abby asked, showing only the very minimum of her feelings in her face.

"Of course, Abigail. Jethro?"

"Let's go, team," Tony staggered to his feet, pulling Ziva up with him. Gibbs left first, followed by McGee and the Director, and eventually the others after them. Ducky remained in the autopsy with Palmer for a moment.

"I ought to see Caitlin. Palmer, if you would be so kind as to come with me…"

"Of course, Doctor," They quickly left together, leaving the door open. Finally, Abby was alone. She wasn't sure what she felt. So many emotions toiled inside her she didn't know where to start. She was happy to be back, but that feeling was only a small part of her. Abby didn't think she would ever be able to smile again. She didn't feel anything at the moment but endless despair and crushing hopelessness. She may have gotten out of her physical prison, but all she had to do was close her eyes and see that horrible room she was kept in for so long appear before her.

"Someone get me out," she whispered brokenly, feeling a few tears escape and splatter onto her shirt. Nobody cared, not really. The words ran in her mind over and over again, and it was almost as if Mikel was in the room with her, shouting still. _They don't love you, they never loved you, and no one except me will ever love you!_ She cried harder. It was like a broken record in her head. She couldn't escape what it felt like to have that knife slice her skin apart into ribbons of blood splashing onto the soft, vulnerable velvet. Bruises, too many to count, coloring her pale skin purple blue and black. Abby may have returned to NCIS, but to her it felt like she didn't leave at all. She could easily feel those cold, rusty metal chains binding her to the wall, and the dizziness of not being fed for a week. And the worst of it all was the endless monotony; there was no day or night in that hell. One day melted into the next, and she had no way of telling if it was a Monday or Friday, Tuesday, Thursday or if it was her last day of living. She barely even felt alive at all at times. The only person that even provided any comfort for her was TJ, and now she'll probably never see him again. The thought made her sob harder. She was curled up on the table, and didn't even feel the coolness of the metal that normally gave her a sort of comfort of familiarity. Nothing seemed familiar here. If anything, the room she had been imprisoned in was more familiar than this place she had known for much, much longer. Her heart was broken, because Mikel has sapped all the love, happiness, and joy out of her. Finally, she didn't have any tears left, but she remained curled up in the smallest ball possible, trying to shut out his words that kept coming back to her. After what felt like a very long time, Abby heard someone come into the autopsy. She could sense that the footsteps were uneven, as if the person had a limp. The footsteps came to a halt about a foot away from her.

"Abby," Ziva said. She didn't move. "Abs," She didn't answer. Abby felt herself being lifted off the table. Strong arms dragged her over to the wall and sat her on the floor. The second she was set down she curled herself up again into a ball, escaping the light and sound.

"Abby…" Ziva sounded concerned. She should answer, but she couldn't find her voice. Her arms were pulled aside, away from her face. Abby opened her eyes and looked at Ziva. She still said nothing.

"What did he do to you?" she asked. Abby showed her arms. Cuts and bruises. Her legs…the same thing. But the worst of all wasn't what could be seen, and she knew Ziva would only understand up to a certain point.

"I'll tell you some things he said," Abby whispered. She leaned over into Ziva's ear, and repeated the words he had said so many times. She could recall each insult perfectly, even more than the feeling she had when Mikel had tried to hurt her the first time. When she came to an end to each thing he said to her, she fell silent.

"Was that all?" Ziva murmured. Abby shook her head, lifting her hair to reveal the back of her neck. Ziva gasped. There, just below the hairline, was a raw scar. It was in the shape of a spider, curiously enough.

"I got that after I was put in the isolation tank," she said, "but before I was taken out. I have no idea how I got it. I just remember an intense pain right there, like being bitten. The burning was pretty bad, but I never felt it until I was taken out of the place. I have no idea what happened…and I probably never will," The tears were long gone…or so she thought. Abby could feel herself falling, down, down, down. Would it all ever come to an end? She could feel Ziva's arms around her, but only a small part of her mind made note of that.

"Shh…Abs, it'll be okay," Ziva whispered. Recovery was a bumpy road. How did Ziva ever manage?

_Outside autopsy_

"Abby's crying," McGee said, listening through the crack of the door Ziva had shut behind her. "Can't I go in there, boss?" Gibbs tightened his jaw, and nodded. It was probably a good idea that she had comfort. He had no idea what Abby had gone through in the past weeks she was imprisoned. He figured it must have been somewhat like Somalia. Ziva limped out of the autopsy, her leg still bleeding.

"You need to have that fixed," Gibbs said. She shrugged. Tony lead her off to the side, where Ducky had left his sewing kit under his request. Tony expertly sewed up the wound without making a single mistake.

"I thought you said you didn't know how to sew up a wound," Ziva said.

"Palmer assumed I didn't, and he's not here right now, is he?"

"Abby is pretty hurt from being tortured, you know,"

"I figured as much, Ziv," Tony whispered. "She looked pretty bad, though she tried so hard to make us all think she was okay, to make us not worry. That, I think is the worst part of it all,"

"Even worse than watching her scream?" Ziva murmured, feeling extremely tired again.

"Ten times worse," Gibbs agreed. The Director remained unusually quiet, as if she knew something they didn't. She walked up to the door, listening to something no one else heard. After a minute, McGee came out with a very exhausted Abby.

"Everyone should probably go home," Gibbs said. "It's been a long day,"


	18. Wedding

**A/N**: This story is running along smoothly. Shame I don't own NCIS, but then it wouldn't be called fanfiction if I did, right? And where's the fun in that…anyway, to my last reviewer, I managed to fix the mentioned issue in Chapter 16 with Chapter 17. I seem to have lost my original manuscript for Chapter 18, so I'll just have to make it up as I go along. That seems to work best. So, moving along from that, I ought to say thank you so much for all the reviews and positive feedback. You have no idea how much that means to me. It's amazing how far I've gotten with this. It feels like only yesterday that I was starting out the story that came out before this, Too Much to Lose. Kelly is a very likable character, yes? I will have this chapter more focused on her. Not sure if I'll keep up the story too much longer. My friend is moving away in a week and a half, and when she's gone I might be too sad to update for a while. Anyway…Chapter 18, here we go!

Chapter 18- New Beginnings

After the wedding, everyone gathered in the bullpen where refreshments were being served. The ceremony was held outside, but since all of that had ended, there was no reason to remain outside what with the setting sun and high humidity. Abby was able to pull herself together enough to finally get a chance to talk to her cousin Linda.

"Abby!" Linda shrieked, hugging her tightly. "It's been so long! Oh my God, is that really your boss? He looks so angry all the time…is he mad at me?" Abby simply smiled and shook her head.

"Yes, where is your daughter Melanie? I must see her," A small figure stepped forward.

"Hi, Auntie Abby," a small voice said. Abby looked down at her feet to see a girl of four years old smiling shyly up at her.

"Hi there!" Abby said brightly. "Would you like to play with Kelly? She is right next to Uncle Tim over there," The girl nodded and ran off to where she pointed. McGee came up to Abby and kissed her on the cheek.

"Hey, Abs, you doing okay?" he murmured, his lips brushing her neck, sending thrills of desire down her spine.

"I'm fine," she said. "But just don't expect me to want to be in a room alone for any time soon, Tim," He nodded in understanding. Linda just looked confused.

"What exactly do you mean?" she asked, a puzzled look still on her face. Abby and McGee exchanged a quick glance.

"Should we start where…" she started.

"No…" McGee said.

"I'll just start at the beginning," Abby decided. "It all started when McGee broke up with me on a Thursday night…" She wove in each detail, recalling every single event of three years ago and the past month with astounding clarity. McGee threw in some details Abby didn't know, and at once point Ziva jumped in with her side of the story. Tony walked over and added in something none of them knew, which alerted Kate to the scene, and gave in something of her own. Eventually, Gibbs came over, and told them of what only he experienced. Linda listened attentively, gasping in awe or grimacing in sympathy at the right moments. Finally, they all came to an end of the incredible tale of Abby's whole journey from heartbroken to healed to broken all over again. Abby listened to the voices around her, and was suddenly glad she met Gibbs in the strange way she did…

_Abby walked through the cemetery, mourning the loss of her mother. Her one guide and female role model, gone forever. Abby choked, feeling more tears run down her face. She came to a stop at her mother's grave. The grave was very fresh, less than a week old. Abby lay the rose down into the rich soil and stepped back. Suddenly, there was a hand on her shoulder. She shrieked in surprise and spun around to see a man in his older years, with silver hair and blue eyes._

"_You shouldn't be out here alone," the man said. Strangely, Abby wasn't afraid of him. His presence was comforting._

"_I like being alone," she heard herself say._

"_Do you work well with death?" he asked. The question surprised her._

"_Work well with it?" she scoffed. "It was my obsession all through high school,"_

"_Why?"_

"_I don't know…but I liked collecting materials from dead things to figure out how they died,"_

"_I have an offer for you," the man said._

"_Really?"  
_

"_Have you heard of NCIS?"_

"_Only in passing. Are they naval criminal investigators or something?"_

"_Yes. How would you like to work for NCIS?"_

"_Are you the boss?"  
_

"_No, but I'm a co-employer. I'll just need you name…"_

"_Abigail Sciuto," she supplied. "That's S-C-"_

"_I know," he said, causing her to stop talking immediately. Something in his face suggested he wasn't someone to mess with._

"_I never caught your name," Abby said._

"_I'm Special Agent Gibbs,"_

Abby was torn away from the memory by a shriek of laughter. Kelly and Melanie were chasing each other around the bullpen. She could easily tell them apart: black hair from brown hair, blue eyes from green, yellow dress from purple dress. Those two girls couldn't be more different. Kelly was so bubbly and energetic and _alive_. Melanie was more shy and cautious, following Kelly very hesitantly.

"Those kids sure are something," Gibbs said, gazing at the playing children. Abby nodded in agreement.

"Couldn't be more unique," Linda added. McGee suddenly looked over at the window, which had a perfect view of the outside. Down below, dark limo was waiting.

"Time to go," he said. Abby turned to face everyone.

"When will you be back?" Kate asked.

"June twentieth," Abby answered. "I'll miss you guys like crazy,"

"Where are you going?" Ziva questioned.

"That is a secret until we get there," McGee replied. "But I can tell you this: it is a warm place,"

"A lot of places are warm," Ziva said, rolling her eyes.

"Farwell for now," Abby said. "I promise I'll call as soon as I'm all settled,"

"What do you mean 'settled?'" Tony asked in a mischievous and suggestive voice, earning a smack on the back of the head from both Gibbs and Ziva. McGee lead Abby to the elevator. Abby took one last glance at her surrounding. Ziva was leaning on Tony's arm, Director Shepard was laughing at something Gibbs had said, Ducky was telling Palmer a story that seemed to be boring the assistant to death, Kelly was in the middle of counting to ten in a hide and seek game, and Kate was having a conversation with Linda. Family. This was her family. McGee tore her away from the bullpen and took her into the elevator. As the shiny silver doors slid shut, she caught a glimpse of Gibbs looking straight at her. His blue, blue eyes seemed to stare straight into her soul. And in that moment, she knew that he knew what she was thinking. He mouthed something to her, just as the doors shut, starting a journey toward something Abby knew could only be experienced (properly) once.

(line break)

Abby and McGee had left over ten minutes ago, and everyone had gotten to know Abby's cousin quite well. It was amazing they were related at all; the two were almost complete polar opposites. The task of watching Kelly had fallen to Linda; who lived nearly half an hour away from NCIS, but was able to make it here in less than twenty without speeding. Linda left with Melanie and Kelly. Ducky then left a few minutes after that. The Director went up into her office with Gibbs half an hour later. Ziva wandered over to her desk, followed by Tony. Kate was left with only Palmer to talk to, and he didn't seem up to any conversation. Kate ditched Paler and joined Ziva and Tony.

"It's too quiet without Abby…" Tony observed. "Not that I'm complaining or anything," Ziva tossed him a quick glare before returning to her computer. Kate still felt a little weak from being sick for so long, but was alert enough to jump into the conversation.

"What if we get a case while Abby is gone?" she asked, causing them both to look at her with equal expressions of surprise. Looks like they hadn't thought of that…

"Surely you can handle processing evidence?" Ziva said uncertainly.

"Up to a certain point," was her reply, "I don't know if I'll be able to work at the same pace with the same amount of energy as Abby if that's what you're asking. I have limitations, and unlike Abby, I pay attention to them,"

"Nobody's expecting you to be Abby," Tony said.

"I know," Palmer edged toward the elevator. Kate ignored him.

"Hang on…is this what you were talking about?" Ziva asked Tony, looking up at him. He bent over to get a good look at the screen.

"Yeah…that's the one," he said. "2007…yeah now you know what I was talking about last night,"

"I'm gonna go…" Kate said. They ignored her.

"Then why were you trying to make it seem like it was something else?" Ziva complained.

"Because I can be confusing like that," Tony grinned at her. Kate, feeling a little neglected, just left the bullpen with Palmer.

"What's with you?" Kate looked up at him.

"Nothing," she muttered. The elevator dinged and opened to reveal the first floor. They got off together and headed for the parking lot.

"It's going to be really lonely without Abby," he said.

"I know," And that was that. On the walk to Kate's car, which was further down, they talked about Kelly and the previous case, but there was no more mention of Abby for the remainder of the evening.


	19. Honeymoon

Chapter 19- Honeymoon

"Shh, you're safe now, Abs. No one's going to hurt you," McGee whispered, pulling his wife into his arms. Every single night that week Abby had been suffering from nightmares. She was already told that Mikel was dead, but he left out the part about the whole thing being a murder. McGee didn't think she needed to know that yet, not when they should be focusing on forgetting about work. Abby opened her eyes and gazed up at him.

"Timmy?" she queried.

"Yeah, Abs?"

"Sometimes I feel like I never left that horrible place. If I close my eyes…I can still feel the chains on my wrists, even though they're not there. I can still see the look on his face when he brought the knife to my arms for the first time," This was a side of Abby he had never seen before. There was a strange deadened look in her eyes. She was looking at him, but he doubted his face was what she was seeing.

"You're safe now, don't worry," he assured her. It seemed to be the only thing to say, the only thing he _could_ say. But there was one important detail McGee couldn't let go. Abby never told him what her nightmares were about.

"I'm going to go get dressed," Abby muttered, climbing off the bed and stumbling toward the bathroom. It was early in the morning. The sun was just coming up, revealing the gorgeous beach McGee could see through the window. Despite the early hour, there were already people walking along the water, collecting shells or commenting on the weather. McGee got up and went over to his suitcase. There were several loose-fitting T-shirts that he could wear, but none of them were really his style. Finally, he took out a navy V-collar shirt and pulled it on. Abby always did like him in blue. There was a mirror above the dresser which was across from the king sized bed. McGee approached the mirror and discovered that his hair was a mess. After running his hand through it several times, he just gave up and went back to the suitcase to find his toothbrush. He had lost it three days ago when Abby had an intense debate with him on the right amount of time one should brush their teeth. McGee insisted four minutes for caution, but Abby being Abby, had said four and a half. This debate went on long enough for him to lose track of not only his toothbrush, but the toothpaste as well. McGee finally found the toothbrush sitting behind the suitcase next to the toothpaste.

"Why are you staring at your toothbrush so hard?" Abby asked him. McGee jumped slightly; she had startled him.

"Just thinking," he said. "Are you ready to go find some breakfast?" She nodded, and they left the hotel room together. Thirty minutes and two omelets later, they went outside to walk on the beach just like any other day in Cozumel, Mexico. A Hispanic man in his late forties crawled toward McGee. He was covered in blood and looked very weak.

"Necesito un doctor," the man croaked.

"Hablo ingles," he replied hesitantly. The man sighed and switched to English.

"Americans," he muttered. "Can't do the simple task of learning another language," That was far from the truth. McGee knew plenty of Spanish to get by, he just didn't feel like using it at the moment, due to the fact that Abby had tensed up at his side the moment she saw the Hispanic, scattering his concentration. He took out his phone and called 911.

"We've got an injured man on the beach," McGee said when someone picked up. "Yes, near Musica y Musica…on 51st. What do you mean they don't speak English? Oh…okay then. That shouldn't be a problem,"

_Way back in D.C._

"I wanted the blue one," Kelly said. Melanie just smirked and walked off with the doll. Kelly followed her.

"I got it first," Melanie sang out, bragging.

"No fair! You got it last time!" Kelly complained.

"Did not!"

"Did too!"

"Did not!"

"Did _too_!" They glared at each other.

"Did not," Melanie muttered, wandering over to McGee's empty desk.

"I saw you with it. I even found…this!" Kelly held up a long brown hair. "It's not mine,"

"Fine, get your way _again_," the girl snapped, letting the doll fall to the floor. Ziva watched them curiously. She had been observing the behavior of Kelly in recent days, and noticed a number of things that surprised her. She was developing at a very fast rate; she could read at a kindergarten level, add basic numbers, and even solve some puzzles. Ziva used a first grade level IQ test, and found that her intelligence, at the rate it was developing, could very well be off the charts in her age range soon. She reported this information to Kate as Kelly and Melanie made up and started getting along again.

"Interesting news," Kate murmured. "We could have a child genius on our hands,"

"Or the next forensic scientist," Gibbs interrupted. "Dead Marine on base, let's move!"

_In Cozumel_

"I'm glad he's going to be okay," Abby said happily, showing no sign of the fear she had this morning. "He seemed to be in pretty serious pain, and I'd hate to think what would have happened if we hadn't gotten there in time," McGee gazed at her in amazement. How could she go from being in tears to worrying about someone else in less than an hour? Knowing her, McGee was aware that this was how she coped with her own situations, by being concerned about someone else's. But it still confounded him how she was able to pull it off.

"All the excitement just gave me the urge to go swimming," McGee said. The water looked particularly inviting today; it sparkled and caught each ray of light with perfect clarity. He could see each individual color separate as the sunlight refracted off the water. He yanked off his shirt and started running toward the beckoning ocean.

"Last one there buys shaved ice!" he yelled, for once not caring if other people were watching him making a fool of himself. Abby stripped down to her black bikini and followed him into the cool water. McGee felt something slam into his back, and he went sprawling into the saltwater.

"Gaah!" he shouted, almost going completely under. Warm hands pulled him up, and suddenly Abby was grinning at him.

"Gotcha," she teased, poking his chest. Her hair was soaking wet. Some of it stuck to the sides of her face. Her long legs were thin, but starting to tan from spending so much time at the beach. Her bright green eyes sparkled with the life he knew she once had, but they were hardened with underlying pain and hardship. Behind that smile that didn't quite reach her eyes he could see the weeks and weeks of torture she had to endure. That mask of happiness was so fragile…he was afraid one wrong word would send it all crashing down into the water below. So he smiled back, for her sake. He laughed with her, in hopes it would help her heal faster. He wanted his Abby back, the one who greeted her machine by name and named her teeth, and hugged Bert the farting hippo for comfort. He wanted the Abby that always had a hug ready for everyone no matter what, and became overexcited when new evidence came in, jumping up and down with limitless joy. But that Abby seemed hidden deep down somewhere that he couldn't quite reach, and it scared him a little that she might never come back. As the day progressed, he kept a close eye on her and watched as the smallest things would make her wince in pain, such as a small enclosed space, or someone in chains, or even the prospect of being left alone for any amount of time. So McGee knew he had to work harder on keeping her happy. After lunch, he took her over to the other side of the island to explore. It took until nearly sunset to walk that far, but simply the joy of being with her made the time pass by quickly.

"Are we going to watch the sunset?" she asked in a timid voice. It was the first time she had spoken since their beach expedition. They were dressed in the same clothes as this morning, only McGee had abandoned his shirt. He had started to get more muscled from taking those late night runs on the beach, racing that stray dog that always came around.

"Only if you want to," he said.

"I do, but is there a better view from here?" He smiled and lead her over to a cliff that gave a perfect view of the sunset and the island below. She gasped in awe, taking in her surroundings. Suddenly, she was crying.

"What's wrong?"

"I…I just…" Her voice broke, and she just sobbed harder. McGee held her in his arms, becoming worried for her.

"It's just…I haven't felt like this s-since before Mikel-" She didn't have to finish. He knew what she meant.

"Like what, though?" he murmured.

"Like…this…_happy_," She broke off into a sudden silence. "You make me happy, Tim. I just want you to know that, no matter what, he didn't take away my ability to be happy again. I may be broken, but I can still be happy," They continued to watch the sunset until the sun had completely disappeared below the horizon.


	20. Return

**A/N: I know the last two chapters have been somewhat anticlimactic, but I have a plan!**

Chapter 20- Return

Kate was so glad none of them knew her secret. She never even told Gibbs during the job interview, because it was never an issue. But she kept her inhaler somewhere safe, just in case something happened.

"What are you doing?" Ziva asked her as she quickly put the inhaler away in her purse, which she always kept with her as well.

"N-nothing," she stuttered. "Just getting back to the lab before Gibbs notices I'm gone," Ziva narrowed her dark eyes in suspicion.

"Zee-vah, where's Kelly and Linda?" Tony called. "I can't find them anywhere!"

"Down in the lab covering for Kate," Ziva answered. As Gibbs came out into the bullpen, Kate sprinted for the stairs and ran down to the lab before he could see her. As she sped into the lab, she felt her breath leave her lungs. She couldn't breathe. Oh no…not now! The purse fell to the floor with an audible thud. Linda looked up.

"Kate? Is everything all right?" She was unable to answer. She could feel herself getting lightheaded. Kelly picked up the inhaler, which had fallen out.

"Here," Kelly said, holding it up. Kate took it at once and scrambled to press the button. Nothing happened. Her eyes went wide with horror.

"Can't….breathe…" Kate wheezed, starting to get tunnel vision. She started to sink toward the floor. The last thing she remembered was Kelly holding something black in her hand and pressing 9...1...1...

"I don't see how a toddler would be able to pull off a 911 call on her own. Does she even know the address of NCIS?"

"Not that I know of…" Abby replied hesitantly. She and McGee were alerted about Kate's collapse while out at the beach in Cozumel. They weren't supposed to be back for another week, but considering this was an emergency, that was hardly a concern.

"Well," the doctor said gruffly. "Her oxygen levels should be stable fairly soon, and she can be discharged this afternoon,"

"Thank you, doctor," McGee said. The doctor left. Kate was fast asleep in the hospital bed, her chest gently rising and falling. The oxygen mask marred the peacefulness of the situation. Abby gave one last worried once-over at her before turning to Kelly, the hero of the day.

"Hi, sweetie," she said. "How did you save Kate?"

"I used Linda's magic talk toy, like Uncle Tony taught me,"

"What did he say to you?" she asked her daughter.

"He said if someone was hurt to press 911 and people would help," Intelligent ocean blue eyes gazed up at her with an awareness that made her look a few years older.

"You did a good job," McGee said. "You saved Kate,"

"Why did she fall, Daddy?" Kelly questioned, her face contorting in confusion.

"I don't know, honey. Melanie is out there if you want to play," She nodded and ran out of the room. Abby and McGee exchanged a glance. Ziva came into the room, disregarding the 'two at a time' rule.

"I should tell you something I had learned about Kelly while the two of you were away," Ziva said to them. "I noticed some things about her behavior, such as the way she seems to learn things almost instantly, unlike Melanie. I gave her an IQ test, and here were the results," She gave Abby a printout, and watched her eyes go wide of page after page of code. Ziva encrypted the results, but knew the forensic specialist would be able to decipher it at once, since she wasn't a great at encrypting.

"What is this?" she gasped, coming to the last page.

"That is a chart. The blue line is Kelly's rate of development, and the orange line is other kids her age,"

"It's off the charts!" she exclaimed.

"Let me see that," McGee demanded, snatching the paper from her and skimming the chart. Innocent Kelly wandered back into the room.

"There's a man in white who says Katie has asthma," the girl announced. "What is that?" It was as if yet another bombshell was dropped on Abby. She brushed it off quickly, though, since Kate was waking up. Ziva did her best to explain to Kelly, who listened attentively, her eyes wide with curiosity. Kate ripped off the oxygen mask and sat up.

"I'm so glad you're okay!" Abby exclaimed, skipping across the room to hug Kate. "I got a call that you collapsed in the lab, and I got the worst images in my head…well, Cozumel can wait, right?" Kate smiled uncertainly.

"You should be mad at me," she said. "I kept my asthma a secret from you guys,"

"Oh believe me we are mad…" Abby almost whispered. "But the relief that you're fine is much stronger," She finally pulled away and let Kate have her space.

"Can I have something from the vending machine?" Kate asked. "I'm starving," McGee nodded and left the room. Kelly followed him out. Abby went over to Ziva.

"Thank you, Ziva,"

"For what?"

"For that night I was rescued. I don't know what would've happened if you didn't come in there…" Ziva winced at the memory, and glanced at her leg. She was wearing shorts, so the scar was clearly visible. It was a constant reminder of everything. To think it all started with her discovering that Abby was pregnant. That seemed to be the catalyst for everything: Victoria, Daniela, and everyone being hunted down by them. Suddenly she snapped her head up. _What was that?_ Abby didn't appear to have noticed anything. McGee came back into the room, just as the noise happened again. A small beep, at her feet. Her hearing was very acute, so things like this never went unmissed by her. She looked down to see a dark misshapen object. It was a mangled cell phone, transformed into a bomb. Ziva held her breath.

"What are you looking at…?" McGee asked. He followed her gaze. The timer showed four seconds, three seconds.

"Get Kelly out!" Ziva screamed. He nodded and dragged Abby out with him. Ziva leapt on top of Kate to protect her, just as there was a colossal explosion.

**A/N: I was going to make it longer, but it just stopping there was just irresistible! Hahaha, a good cliffy to get you all wanting more! **

**I've had to deal with the fact that my friend moving away, as you know. So I've been basically crying my eyes out for the past few days. /3**

**A few reviews would make me feel better…and I'm not just saying that to get some.**


	21. Shattered

Chapter 21- Shattered

It turned out that there was more than one bomb in that hospital. The place was in shambles. Hundreds were dead, and thousands injured. The explosion had a third of the power of an atomic bomb, which was a lot, considering what an atomic bomb was capable of in the first place. Gibbs assessed his team and others for injures: Ducky had scratches on his face, Palmer had a cut on his forehead that was gushing blood, Ziva was limping on a broken leg, Kate for some reason was unharmed, Kelly and Melanie were fine, Linda was unconscious, and Jenny had a concussion. But all of that was a sideline compared to what he was looking at. Abby was in tears. Something he had seen before. The reason? McGee. Something he understood. But what he couldn't understand was the broken, lifeless body before him. Blood was all over him, soaking the ground and his clothes and the hand Abby was now gripping very hard. Gibbs felt frozen with fear. Was the probie alive? Gibbs approached the married couple, but Ducky held him back.

"I'll investigate, Jethro" he murmured, moving toward McGee. Ducky checked McGee's pulse. He frowned, and checked again. All he knew was that his eyes grew very sad, and Abby just sobbed harder. Gibbs felt as if the life he knew was shattered. It could never be put back together again in the same exact way. He would never see that probie smile again, or attempt to stand up to Tony. Never, ever again. And whoever did this would also never see the light of day again. This was worse than murder. This was theft. Someone he loved had been taken away from him forever. He wouldn't stop until revenge was enacted. And after that…then what? No one could possible replace McGee. He approached the body.

"Tim, I swear, whoever did this to you will pay," he promised. "I will have my vengeance," And then the impossible happened. Gibbs felt tears prick his eyes and trickle down his face. Ziva was crying, and Tony mutely held her hand, tears in his own eyes. Not one set of eyes was dry. Kelly went up to McGee, confused.

"Daddy?" she asked in a small voice. Gibbs felt his heart break at the sound of her voice. In that moment, she reminded him of his dead daughter. Kelly's face was a little sad, and a little worried.

"Daddy? Are you sleeping?" Abby shook her head, tears still running down her face. Ducky put a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

"Daddy….Daddy is…" Abby tried, her voice sounding thick and strangled. She coughed several times and wiped fresh tears splashing onto McGee's body. Then Gibbs saw it. A flicker of movement. If he had blinked, he would have missed it. He remained silent. Maybe he imagined it. But his gut said something else.

"He's not dead," Gibbs said, speaking for the first time since the explosion. Nobody seemed to hear him.

"He's not dead," he repeated, louder this time.

"But…I checked Jethro," Ducky said. "There is no pulse,"

"Check again," he ordered. "Someone perform CPR if they have to. My gut says he's not dead,"

"Trust Gibbs' instincts," Abby whispered thickly, tears still falling down her devastated face.

"I always do," Ducky replied. "Mr. Palmer, if you would do the honors,"

"Of course, Doctor," Palmer said, stepping forward. Gibbs walked into the ruins of the hospital and started pulling out dead people with the other bomb victims. Body after body after body swam in his vision. What kind of explosive would cause this much damage?

"He's alive! I got a pulse!" Palmer shouted. Gibbs ran back over and saw Abby gasping with relief plain in her face.

"Good, now we just need him to stay with us long enough for treatment. Go get my medical bag, please," Gibbs went up to Abby and she threw her arms around him.

"Oh, Gibbs," she whimpered. He didn't say anything, just held her as she tried to calm herself down and put on a brave face. As she finally pulled herself away, he saw a figure in the distance. It looked oddly familiar, and was quickly approaching him. Gibbs tensed up, instinctively putting himself in front of Abby in a protective pose. Tony did the same to Ziva, and Linda held Melanie close to her. Kelly stood near Kate.

"Relax, guys," a voice said. "I'm a friend of Abby's," Gibbs blinked, and the blurry figure formed into something recognizable. It was TJ.

"TJ? What are you doing here?" Abby asked. "I thought you were still in that place,"

"I was, but then I saw on the news that this hospital exploded, and I noticed you were inside…I did the first thing that came to mind: I came here," Abby wrapped him into a gentle hug.

"Was anyone hurt?" the teenager said. "It looked pretty bad,"

"A lot of dead bodies," Gibbs replied. "We almost lost a team member," Abby shakily pointed at McGee, who's chest lifelessly rose and fell so shallowly it was hard to tell if he was actually breathing. Ducky tended to his injuries. Most of them were third degree burns and major cuts, but there were a few bruises here and there. TJ gaped at him for a moment before recovering enough to respond.

"Man, that's rough," he said. "I can see you're all taking this hard. But I have information that may interest all of you," Gibbs perked up at the word 'information.'

"Go on," Abby said to him.

"I know who killed Mikel,"

"What? He was murdered?"

"Yeah, didn't anyone tell you?"

"No…who killed him?"

"Someone who has a grudge against NCIS," He held up one long blonde hair. "This was found at the crime scene by none other than me,"

_Later- in Autopsy_

"I'm afraid that's all I can do for him, Abigail. He'll be in a coma for some time. Amnesia would be very common. Remember what happened to Jethro?" Abby winced at the memory, but nodded.

"I just want to see him,"

"All right, I don't blame you," He stepped aside and left to give her a moment alone. Abby stared at McGee. He looked almost unrecognizable with all those bandages on him. She wondered if he was in any pain, before remembering that he was in a coma, so he probably didn't feel anything at all.

"Tim, I love you, and I need you now more than ever. If you could try coming back to me…give me any sign at all that you can hear me…"

_McGee stood in front of the NCIS building. This would be his first day on the job. He hoped that this Agent Gibbs wouldn't be too harsh on him. After all, this WAS his first day, wasn't it? He sighed and decided to take the elevator up to the place everyone referred to as the 'bullpen.' Since they discovered him basically on the side of the street doing his thing, they found him useful. He wasn't officially part of the team, but maybe one day he would be. McGee was nearly mowed over by a streak of black and red, and suddenly he was being squeezed to death by someone._

"_Oh my gosh, I've heard so much about you, McGee!" the woman squealed. She pulled back and grinned at him. Her eyes were a brilliant green, and she wore a dog collar around her neck that partially covered up a cobweb tattoo._

"_I'm Abby Sciuto, by the way," she continued. She looked over at some man that was laughing at him._

"_That's Tony, and over there is Kate from the Secret Service. This is my family, basically,"_

"_Family?" McGee scoffed, speaking for the first time._

"_That's it, then, you're officially part of this team," Gibbs said, setting some papers aside. "Welcome to NCIS, McGee," He smiled, but only briefly. McGee knew this was going to be an exciting adventure._

_McGee sat in the chair, spinning around and around. She said yes! She said yes! They're finally going out on a date! Suddenly, the chair was pulled out from under him and he fell to the floor._

"_Just because we're going out doesn't mean you get to spin around in my chair," Abby said, but there was a smile of amusement on her face. McGee looked up at her. She never looked more beautiful than she did now, with her dark makeup and cute pigtails and energetic mannerisms._

"_Hey, beautiful," he said. She softened for a moment, giving a sort of angelic effect to her face._

"_Tim, get off the floor," she said, shaking her head._

_This was it. This was the moment he had been dreaming of. Abby would forgive him. He nervously paused in front of the lab door, which was shut tight. He caught a glimpse of his Abby, fast asleep. Her face looked troubled and pained. She grimaced, and he couldn't take it anymore. As she started to wake up, McGee slowly opened the door…_

_Wow. Oh wow. He was a father now! He couldn't stop grinning, but he was getting strange looks, so he had to stop. Precious Kelly was fast asleep in Abby's arms. She had a head full of black hair to match Abby's perfectly. McGee loved Abby's hair; he couldn't get enough of it. He constantly stroked her hair at any opportunity he could. It felt so soft and silky. Once, he tried asking her how it got that way and she just gave him a mysterious smile before kissing him as a distraction. It worked, but the question still remained afterwards._

"Tim, if you can hear me, just say something. Anything," That voice. It sounded familiar. But it was so far away. How would he get to it? McGee struggled to find where that voice came from, but the darkness was so profound and heavy that the attempt was futile. So he just tried to put a name to the voice. Abby. His wife. Okay. That was a good start. What did she look like again? Black hair, green eyes, smile on her face…always hugging someone. He added more and more details, becoming specific right down to each point on the cobweb tattoo, every thin eyelash, the singular details that made her purely Abby. It was slow, so slow he didn't even know it was happening at first. He could feel his fingers, then his wrists. McGee added personal details to Abby. She loved her work, more than Tony or Ziva or Kate, and just as much as Gibbs. She'd go to the ends of the earth for him, if that's what it took to save him. She bowled with nuns and slept in a coffin(or used to, until it got destroyed). She was never without a Caf-Pow in her hand, and always used intense gestures when explaining something to Gibbs so he could understand. He loved watching those gloved hands fly through the air when she was signing to Gibbs. The expression of intense concentration on her face was another thing he loved, that look she got when studying Major Mass Spec's screen for information. Abby's hands were warm and soft, but also strong enough to handle the work she did. She was an insane bowler, as he recalled. He remembered watching her bowl three strikes in a row, a spare, another strike, and another spare, all in one game. He could feel his arms and shoulders, and his ankles now. McGee needed something else to draw energy from. Kelly. That sweet, sweet girl that was his whole world now. She danced through life without a care in the world, always with that smile on her face and those curious blue eyes fixed on her latest discovery.

"Timmy? Timmy? Are you there?" Abby asked desperately. Oh, how he wished he could answer! He was able to feel his legs now, and his waist. He vaguely remembered everyone crying over him. Everyone…and even for a moment…Gibbs? He could feel his chest, his neck…he had to get back to Abby! She needed him!

"Abigail, it's getting late," a new voice said. Ducky. "You need your rest," No! He was so close! He could feel his chin, and finally, the rest of his head. But where was his voice? It seemed to have gotten torn away from him in the explosion. There was an explosion, right? His voice got taken away by the sound of the explosion. He just had to recreate the last sounds he made, which were…what?

"_Abby! I love…you…"_

Suddenly, his eyes snapped open and air was rushing into his lungs. Breathe in, breath out. Look up above you. Blink once, twice. Who was looking at him? Right. Abby. The one who coaxed him back to reality, the one who truly mattered. He took in another breath to steady himself.

"Abby," he croaked. Why did his throat hurt so much? She peered anxiously into his face before responding.

"Timmy! I knew you would wake up!" she exclaimed.

"I did it…for you," he whispered, before his voice gave out. He felt very tired.

"I'll take you home, Abby," Ducky said. "It's been a long day. Palmer, would you…?"

"Yes, of course," Palmer said. "I'll be honored. Sit tight, McGee, it's going to be a rough ride to the van," The van? McGee gave him a confused look as he was lifted onto a gurney and rolled out to the elevator. Ducky and Abby were nowhere in sight; they must have taken the stairs. He was finally going home to be with Abby. As the elevator doors closed, he gave in to the increasing pain all over his body and dropped off to sleep.

**A/N: So, a little longer than my usual. I didn't expect it to be this long! I hardly thought it would be much more than 1000 words, let alone 2000. Very impressive of me. I will try and make them longer! That is my goal…anyway R/R because reviews make my day!**


	22. It Is Up To Who?

Chapter 22- It Is Up To...Who?

Gibbs anxiously paced the bullpen. Back and forth, back and forth. Jenny's eyes wearily followed his movements. She wished he would just say something already. She had hardly heard from him since the moment they all thought McGee was gone from their lives forever. Gibbs was sometimes a hard man to read, but with experience, she knew that he was thinking hard. The day had been hard on all of them, especially Abby. Jenny would never forget the look on her face when Ducky checked McGee's pulse for a second time...it was one of devesation, of torture and loss...she shook off the fresh and painful memory like leftover raindrops on an umbrella.

"Abby probably won't leave McGee's side, meaning Kelly won't be here...Ziva is in the hospital, and Tony is with her. It's up to Kate to end this. Can you count on her?" Jenny blinked in surprise. He didn't ask if we could count on her. He asked if she could count on her. The difference was significant.

"Of course,"

"As much as Abby?" he continued.

"I trust her with my life," she affirmed. Gibbs beckoned to a figure in the shadows. Kate shuffled forward, a dead look in her face. It was long past midnight; almot three in the morning. She hadn't gone out for a single coffee run after working for eight hours straight. She looked as tired as Jenny felt at the moment, due to her pounding headache from the explosion. Kate had her hands behind her back, as if she were holding something.

"Show her, Kate," The woman nodded and brought forth two photos. Jenny examined them closely. Their blonde hair was so alike, down to the very light highlight. The only noticable difference she could see was Victoria had green eyes that seemed to pierce her soul, and Daniela had softer, less intense, blue eyes. Almost as if they were indecisive about their natural color.

"We need to call in a witness," she said finally. "Is TJ in cusotdy?" He nodded.

"Thanks for trying, Kate," Gibbs said to her. "We're going to leave now. Be sure to lock up. Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yes...Ducky double checked my vitals, and I'll be fine. Not sure about the Director, though. You might want to have him take a look at her before she falls into a coma,"

Abby's apartment

"Need...water..." McGee croaked. Abby handed him a glass of water, which he sipped desperately until it was empty. Abby took the empty cup from him and continued to keep him cooled down. His burns were very severe, and some of the cuts started to open up again. She had to stop the bleeding and prevent infection from happening. On and on the night went, and she could feel her body starting to give out from exhaustion. She had been up for almost twenty-four hours straight. Without coffee. First she started losing her focus, and forgetting where she put things. That was always how it started. This was how her body gave in to the battle of staying awake. It gave up. McGee had fallen asleep again. Now that things had calmed down, she could take full stock of his injuries. Both of his legs were broken, and some of his ribs as well. She thought back to the explosion, and what had exactly happened...

"A bomb is going to go off!" McGee shouted. "I'll protect you!" There was a colossal explosion as he curled himself around her, but the force of the blast forced him back as she snatched Kelly and leapt out of the way. It was too late for him. McGee slammed into the wall, went though the wall, hit a table that fell on top of his legs as he slumped to the floor at last. he explosion caused a fire. Abby picked up Kelly and ran for the stairs. Linda was right on her heels, with Melanie in tow. Somehow they were unharmed. A miricale. Of course, they carried out McGee later, and then Gibbs came out to see the others were fine. Except for McGee. For five painful minutes, his heart had stopped beating. Almost for good.

Abby could feel herself giving in. She let her eyes droop shut, but only for a second before she slapped herself awake again. It was almost five in the morning. She had to leave him here and go to work. He was in no condition to be out and about. She had managed to splint his broken bones with no difficulties. Ducky was unable to do it, because he couldn't get past all the burns. Abby went to go get herself a cup of coffee. Normally, she'd go for Caf-Pow, but she knew even that wouldn't work at this stage of exhaustion.

-Later...around seven in the morning-

Abby dutifuly shuffled into the lab, feeling only half alive. McGee insisted on coming to work, so she supplied him with a wheelchair to save him the hassle of being on a gurney all the time. She felt so, so tired. Maybe she'd take a short nap...she yawned and sank into the rolling chair.

Gibbs came in and discovered a sleeping Abby in the rolling chair, which he thought of as a surprise. She was always so alert and energetic. He went over and shook her gently. She only moaned softly and pushed his hand away.

"Abs," he murmured. She didn't respond, just peacefully slept on. Kate walked in and saw Gibbs bent over Abby.

"What's going on?"

"Abby fell asleep. Try waking her up. I'm going to go get Ducky," He left the lab.

"Abby. You have to wake up," Kate gently shook her shoulder a few times, with no result. She tried again.

"Abby...come on. This isn't funny,"

"Mmph..." Abby mumbled in response. "Timmy, don't do that...that tickles," Kate's eyes widened. Abby didn't normally talk in her sleep, unless she was having a nightmare. This so far seemed to be an exception. She held her breath, waiting to see what happened next. For a while Abby was quiet. But then she started to talk again, and Kate wa horrified at what happened next.

"Don't...don't go! I'm still trapped here! Don't go, Timmy! I'm still in chains! You have to save me! TIM!" The last word was a shriek of fright, and Abby twisted around a little in her sleep. Finally her eyes snapped open just as Gibbs came in with Ducky. She scrambled to her feet and anxiously glanced between the three of them.

"Something wrong?" she asked in a tense voice.

"Just need to see if you're healthy," Ducky said in a calm, reassuring voice. Abby relaxed a little.

"When was the last time you got any sleep?" Ducky asked.

"Over twenty four hours ago," she whispered, looking down at her feet.

"Exhaustion," he concluded. "You just go ahead and rest up in the autopsy. Kate will take over from here," It was up to Kate to solve everything now. No going back... 


	23. Drug

**A/N: I'm kind of basing this chapter off of a song I came across yesterday. It's called "Lithium" by Evanescence. A very good song, in my opinion. And to think I came across it by complete accident…**

Chapter 23- Drug

TJ slept pretty good for someone locked in the interrogation room all night being watched over by Fornell. Early that morning his peaceful sleep was interrupted by Gibbs storming in and collapsing into the chair across from him. TJ was unafraid. If he could deal with his mother, he could deal with this person that tried so hard to be 'tough.' Gibbs said nothing for a solid two minutes. Finally, he spoke.

"You know why you're here?" he asked.

"Yeah. 'Course I do," TJ replied easily. "I have information you need, so here I am," Gibbs didn't react to his relaxed tone. Did he react to anything?

"Right," he said gruffly. "Did you witness Mikel's murder?"

"Only briefly. I caught a glimpse of blonde hair, dark clothing, short stature, and a gun,"

"You see anything else? Anything that made the murder memorable?"

"Feminine. Soft voice. Oh, and her eyes…wow, they were pretty intense,"

"What color?"

"Can't quite remember…blue or green or something,"

"What. Color," Gibbs growled. TJ started to get a little scared, but he didn't let it show.

"If my memory is correct, they should be green," he said at last, closing his eyes and thinking back to that night.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. Don't think you can forget someone after they look you in the eye like that," Gibbs stared at him very intensely, and TJ started to feel uncomfortable. He shifted a little in his seat, and the silver haired man finally looked away.

"You can go,"

"Go where?" TJ demanded. "I _have_ no where to go. Where's Abby?"

"Unimportant at the moment…looks like you're going to have to be put in a foster home," TJ slammed his fist on the table and glared at the agent.

"No! You can't do this to me!" he shouted. "Abby made me a promise, and you have to let her keep it! She was going to adopt me and everything! I was going to have a real mom, and a real dad! Do you know what it's like being tortured and abused your whole life by an insane mom and an alcoholic father, and then just dumped in the streets before you even know anything about the world? I haven't had a real roof over my head since I was eleven. I've been trapped in that asylum for years, Gibbs. Years. Sometimes weeks would go by before I even had another human being to talk to. And then suddenly I was all alone with some crazy guy who claimed Abby was in love with him. Then, a year after that, Abby came along. She changed everything, Gibbs. She changed _me_. I can't just be put in a foster home. If you do, that'll be it for me. I'll have nothing to lose. So…please, just do at least this for me, I promise I won't be anymore of an issue after that," Gibbs had a sudden vision of him working at NCIS, taking care of Kelly, and being a good assistant crime solver. That was when Gibbs made the biggest mistake. He laid his cards on the table and let his mask fall. TJ could see everything he was thinking right in his face, and it shocked him.

"All right," Gibbs murmured. "I'll see what can be done," He got up and left the interrogation room. TJ was alone once again, just as he had been his whole life.

_On the way to NCIS_

Ziva moved around awkwardly in her crutches. Tony was just a few paces to her right, making sure she could maneuver well enough. They were almost all the way across the parking lot. Suddenly, Ziva stopped and looked at Tony.

"Why do you spend all of your time with me?" she asked. "I know that you love me, but why?" Tony thought for a minute.

"Because, I can't stand to be away from you," he whispered. "When you were in Somalia, I felt so empty inside, like something was missing from my life. My eyes kept drawing to that empty desk…" This was a side of Tony that kept coming out more and more often. Ziva loved to see him smile, and this pain in his face was too much to bear.

"I'm your drug, your Lithium," she concluded.

"What is Lithium?" Tony asked.

"A drug for depression,"

"I can see where that would be true,"

"You overdosed on me, Tony. I think we need some time apart…to see what happens,"

"Are you breaking up with me?" he asked.

"Ah…let's just call it breaking the pattern," she replied hesitantly. He sighed.

"You better not say 'let's stay friends,'" he growled. Ziva laughed, but it was false and didn't sound like her. Because he was her drug too. She couldn't stand it when he went out on a case and the thought he could be injured or killed lingered in her mind.

"I…"

"Why are you really doing this?" he challenged.

"A test," was all she said, continuing to clump forward on her crutches.

"Do you really want to watch me walk away from here?" The question threw her off, and for a second her mask slipped and revealed her true emotions. She scrambled to put on a blank face, but it was already too late. Tony knew what her answer would be even if she lied. She couldn't hide how she felt for him no matter how hard she tried.

"I…don't," she admitted. "I don't know what came over me. I'm sorry,"

"Rule six, Ziva," he mumbled. "Don't say you're sorry,"

"It's 'never,'" she corrected him as he came closer.

"So, am I your drug?" he breathed, very close to her now. He kissed her on the lips for a moment.

"Yes," she whispered, kissing him back the best she could without being able to get any more height in her crutches.

_Autopsy_

Abby slept on, tossing and turning. Slowly but surely she got over being kidnapped and tortured. But not in her dreams. The nightmares raged on and on. The look in Mikel's eyes was one that burned into her mind and couldn't be erased. She sobbed for McGee in her sleep. Ducky watched her sadly, wishing there was something he could do to put poor Abby back together. Finally, he couldn't take it anymore and just called McGee. She needed him, and he couldn't deprive Abby of what, or who, she needed.

"Abby needs you down here," Ducky said into his cell phone. "I can't bear to watch this anymore,"

"Watch what?"

"You'll see when you get here,"

"I'll be down in five," he replied. The call disconnected less than a second later. After four and a half minutes of waiting, McGee rolled himself into the lab. He was in a wheelchair. He went straight up to Abby, who was still calling for McGee over and over.

"I'm here, Abs," he whispered. "You're safe now…nothing will hurt you when I'm here," She calmed down slightly, but still murmured something incoherent in her sleep. McGee just sat there and kept reassuring her until she was finally at peace. As this was happening, Gibbs came in and approached the couple.

"She isn't awake, Jethro…" Ducky warned him.

"I know, Duck. McGee, tell Abby when she wakes up that she has a visitor,"

"Who?" McGee asked, not taking his eyes off of his wife.

"I think you know very well who," He turned and started to leave.

"Is it TJ?" Gibbs didn't answer. He didn't have to. The look on his face showed all the words he needed to say. He finally left, and Ducky went up to McGee as soon as the door slammed shut.

"Do you need anything for those burns? They look awfully serious,"

"It's fine. I don't even feel them anymore. Honestly, I barely noticed my injuries the moment I came in here…"


	24. When You Think Its Over, Its Not

**A/N: I hope you didn't think the last chapter was too weird for you…anyway; Kelly will once again be put in the spotlight, I can promise you that much!**

Chapter 24- When You Think It's Over, It's Not

Abby woke up gasping. Her neck was burning, as it had been every time she woke up for the past three days. She felt her neck; it was very hot, as if the scar had been freshly branded onto her skin. McGee wasn't in bed next to her, but in the bathroom connected to the bedroom. She could tell because there was a light under the door, and a second later the door opened.

"You okay?" he asked her.

"I just feel a little hinky, but I'll be fine," she said. His mouth twisted into a little half smile at the use of one of her special words. Kelly came into the room just then, all dressed to go in a dark purple skirt, the black sandals she adored so much, and a black shirt.

"Momma, will Melanie come to play while you catch the bad guys?" she queried.

"We'll see," Abby replied. "Let me get ready and call Auntie Linda. Why don't you see if Daddy will make you breakfast?" McGee, in his wheel chair, rolled out of the room, closely followed by Kelly. Abby slipped into a checkered T-shirt, black lace legging, a black skirt, and her heeled boots that gave her an extra three inches of height. Now, for the hair. She skipped to the bathroom and found two hair ties. In a few minutes she managed to twist her hair up into pigtails. Makeup…where did she put her black lipstick? Abby snatched it out of the cabinet along with the mascara.

"Abs! Eggs are ready!" McGee called.

"Just a minute, honey," she shouted, applying the mascara carefully. She finished putting on the makeup and went into the kitchen, where McGee was serving scrambled eggs for two. Kelly had a bowl of Frosted Flakes in front of her that was half empty.

"They're grrreeeeat," Kelly said, smiling up at Abby, who had her phone out on the table and was sending a text message to Linda. As McGee came in with his plate of food she started to eat.

"What day is it?" he asked.

"Wednesday, I think, but I've lost track of time over the last month or so," she responded through a mouthful of eggs on toast. He nodded and continued eating. They were quiet for a minute. Then Kelly finished her bowl of cereal, jumped to her feet, and ran into the living room. A moment later, the Dora theme song started playing, with her singing along.

"So, are you doing okay?"

"Yes, I am now,"

"What was that earlier, anyway?" Abby felt her neck again. It felt normal…but who knows what that was?

"I have no idea," she admitted. "All I know is that this scar is not normal…" Suddenly she wasn't very hungry anymore. There was a knock at the door, and she went to go answer it. But instead of Linda walking in, only Melanie was there, followed by Kate and Ziva. She gave them a questioning glance.

"Remember that printout, Abby?" Ziva asked, holding up a singed sheet of paper. It had just barely escaped total damage in the explosion.

"Yes. What about it?" Kate and Ziva looked at each other, before Kate stepped forward to speak.

"Well…I found some programs for Kelly when she gets a little older," She handed Abby a few brochures of accelerated learning programs for children ages five to eleven. The door opened again, and Linda came in. Melanie sat next to Kelly to watch Dora the Explorer.

"Abs, we have to get going," McGee said as he rolled himself into the living room.

"In a second, McGee," Ziva told him, her eyes focused on Abby.

"Are you sure about this?" Abby asked. "This all looks like it would end up costing half my paycheck each month, and that's saying something,"

"It's up to you," Kate said. Abby bit her lip, her eyes on Kelly now.

"No! The blue one!" Kelly shouted, just as Melanie disagreed with her.

"Red!" Melanie argued.

"Blue? Don't you see? They want blue…its right there!" Kelly put a hand on her hip and pointed at the screen.

_Bullpen_

"I can't believe you almost ended things between us!" Tony said to his picture of Ziva with a mournful look on his face. Ziva, having just arrived when he said that, rolled her eyes.

"That news is so last month, Tony," she grumbled. "And I said I was sorry," Gibbs came went to his desk, where Director Shepard waited for him. She pecked him on the cheek and got out of his chair. Kate walked in just then, flanked by Abby and McGee. Behind them, Linda excitedly looked around along with Melanie and Kelly.

"Jeez, do we have half the country coming in at once?" the Director exclaimed.

"Whoa, McWheels don't run over my toes!" Tony shouted. McGee ignored him and turned to Abby.

"I have to report this to Gibbs…you sit tight, Abs. Are the adoption papers set to go?" The woman nodded.

"Sure, Tim. All ready,"

"Good. I'll be right back," Kate pushed his chair over to Gibbs, who looked up at their arrival.

"Yeah, probie?"

"Listen, boss, I need to talk to you," Tony switched his gaze over to Kelly and Melanie, who were currently in the middle of a conversation about a cartoon he had never really cared for as a kid. Dora the Explorer. He snorted, earning a curious and amused glance from Ziva.

"Now what?" she demanded in a harsh voice, but there was a smile on her face that showed she was only joking.

"Those kids, you know?" he said, referring to Kelly and Melanie.

"I know," Linda sat at Kate's desk, which was currently empty.

"I wonder if I can work here…" she murmured, looking at all the papers on the ex Secret Service agent's desk. Gibbs said something to McGee that Tony didn't hear, and McGee left the bullpen. Curious all of the sudden, Tony followed him by taking the stairs instead and hiding in the back of the autopsy lab. It was a lucky guess, the location he chose, because that's the very place McGee was going into. Ducky greeted the probie warmly, rattling on about a recent vacation in Bolivia with Palmer.

"That's all very well, Ducky, but there's something going on with Abby I can't make any sense of…" Tony tensed up at the mention of Abby. Something was wrong with her?

"What seems to be the trouble, Timothy?"

"Well, she says her neck feels like the scar was recently branded to her skin every time she wakes up now, and earlier in the car she said her heart was racing and felt like it was going to explode. I don't know what to make of it," Tony took off and sprinted up the stairs. If something else was about to happen, he might as well be in the thick of the action when it happened.

_Abby's lab_

"Oh no…" Abby murmured, feeling her heart rate starting to pick up, her breath starting to quicken. Her skin felt like it was on fire. What was wrong with her? She brushed a few fingers across her neck and gasped when she realized it was the hottest part of her whole body. The heat was unbearable, and she crumpled to the floor. Next thing she knew, she was being shaken awake by someone, and there was a noise…

"Abs, wake up," a voice said. Gibbs.

"She feels really hot," another voice said. Ziva. "Should I get Ducky?" A moment of silence, and rapid footsteps ran away from her. Abby was afraid to open her eyes at first, but managed to do it anyway. Five anxious faces peered into hers. Gibbs, Kate, McGee, Tony, and Linda. Her family.

"What happened?" Kate asked. "Gibbs said he found you on the floor screaming in pain," That was her?

"I don't know," she said in a tense voice, sitting up. "I just…felt hot all over, and my heart felt like it was going to take off from my chest," Ducky came in with a stethoscope and thermometer. Gibbs and the others moved aside to give the doctor some room.

"Your heart rate is awfully high," Ducky noted as he moved the stethoscope around. The metal was a relief to her burning skin. He stuck the thermometer in her mouth. After a minute, he took it out and frowned at the number.

"Are you sure this is working properly?" he asked Palmer, who was standing over in the doorway. There was a stony silence. Ducky had never asked a question like that before. Ever. His instruments were in perfect condition no matter what. Gibbs took the device form him and glanced at the reading.

"That's not good. She should be dead with a temperature like that,"

"A temperature like what?" Abby demanded. She felt fine, just really hot and restless. Gibbs silently handed the thermometer over. Abby looked at the screen. 106° Fahrenheit. That wasn't right. Was it? Shouldn't she be dead? The highest a human temperature could go was…105°. And it couldn't even stay that high for long, or else the fever would send the person into a coma, and eventually death.

"Keep her cooled down. I'll find what's wrong here,"

"I think it's my scar," she blurted, causing the rushing agents to freeze in place.

"What?" Gibbs said. Linda and Palmer had already left to go watch the children.

"I…my scar. Most of the heat is concentrated there. Feel the scar," Ducky did so, and his fingers felt cold. Everything felt cold to her.

"Abigail," he choked. "That is no ordinary scar...you have been bugged by something…and it will probably destroy you completely from the inside if we don't find out what it is, and get it out," It was like a bomb had dropped into the lab. McGee had a fearful look on his face. Ziva looked slightly disturbed. Tony looked worried. Gibbs looked, well, Gibbs. Kate's eyes were the size of dinner plates, and her hand was over her mouth in shock. But the look on Abby's face was the worst. She looked as if she had been haunted by something terrible.


	25. Just for this Moment

Chapter 25- Just for this Moment

Every day, over the next week, Abby could sense things were getting worse. A lot worse. She had nightmares every night that had no end, with her screaming in her sleep as the hours ticked by. Each night ended the same way: she'd suddenly wake up, her neck burning, and the news showed destruction of whole cities. Bodies everywhere. If she didn't know better, she'd think she became the Hulk or something. McGee wasn't with her all night, so she couldn't be too sure whether she actually went sleep walking and sleep destroying everything. But it was very strange, much like when she was being drugged, only on a higher scale. She remembered that day in the isolation tank, and wondered what that stuff was that she was being basically bathed in for nearly twenty-four hours straight.

"I have a new theory," Abby said to Ducky.

"Do tell, Abigail, I think this young man would be interested," He gestured to TJ's body on the autopsy table. Abby felt her eyes go wide.

"_Whaaaat?_ He's _dead_?" Abby shrieked, gaping in shock at her friend's mangled body.

"And not a quick one, either." Ducky said sadly, gazing at the gleaming autopsy tools.

"Details," Abby murmured, struggling to recover from this ultimate shock.

"Poor TJ here was stabbed repeatedly. Bruising here indicate moderate to extreme trauma, which means he was likely tortured continuously until his ultimate demise,"

"Victoria wanted to know who he answered to," Abby whispered without realizing until Ducky looked at her.

"Your theory, Abigail darling?"

"Oh, my theory. Remember that thing you said was supposed to kill me? Well I have an alteration to that. The bug thing is supposed to morph me into some kind of killing machine, since every night, I have nightmares of fire and light and noise and people dying right in front of me…that turn out to be true in the morning. And every morning when I wake up, my neck is on fire, as if it had been bathed in the fire that had destroyed all those innocent people. I'm a killer, Ducky, and I can't control it. I don't even want to go to sleep, for fear that I'll hurt you or Gibbs or Kelly or-" She broke off her frantic ranting when the door suddenly opened, and Gibbs stood there staring at her.

"Oh, Gibbs!" she cried out, throwing her arms around him. He simply held her as she sobbed into his shirt; staining it with tears of fright and pain.

"Shh, Abs, its okay…" he whispered. He didn't ask what happened, or what was wrong, he just seemed to get it from the way she clung to him and continually glanced at TJ's naked body, so pale and broken. And, of course, she heard Gibbs say that he saw everything on the news and put all the pieces together on his own. After a while, he started to pull away, but then Abby spoke.

"Just…just hold me, Gibbs," she said in a broken whisper, choking on fresh tears. "Just for this moment…hold me,"

"Oh, Abs," he moaned, but she could hear the worry in his voice. She could detect fear, uncertainty, pain, love, concern…all in those two syllables that were scarcely heard. She knew him all too well, just as well as he had gotten to know her. And that was how they stayed for a long time, until the door opened just a little wider, and someone stepped into the autopsy interrupt the precious moment of support Gibbs was giving to Abby.

"Gibbs!" Ziva gasped, and the man broke away from the distressed Abby to face her. He just gave her a furious glare that showed she had interrupted something important. She merely shook her head and continued.

"Sorry to interrupt, but you should see this," He followed her out of the lab. Abby trailed behind them, trying to put herself back together so McGee wouldn't worry. It was a slow process, for her, but by the time they made it to the bullpen, she had a somewhat normal expression on her face once again. Ziva confidently strode up into MTAC and typed in the code which would allow her access to the area. Quickly, she pulled the door opened and let both Gibbs and Abby in, before she let herself inside.

"Watch…the clip will play again," Zia murmured. Gibbs' face was entirely unreadable as the news clip played. A woman showed up on the screen, looking professional in her business suit and holding up the microphone to her mouth.

"Last night, it seems a young woman was seen roaming the streets of Chicago, destroying everything in what appeared to be a sleepwalking type of state. Citizens were reported to have tried and wake her up, only to be killed with fire that came from seemingly nowhere. Here we have an eyewitness that will tell us what it was like," The camera panned over to a man, who had a familiar dead teenager in his arms. TJ.

"She was totally psycho," the man said. "It was like something possessed her. I don't know, but it looks like she wasn't doing this of her own will…this guy, before he died, told me he knows her. She is Abby Sciuto, and works with NCIS. Lots of people torture them, or want them dead. So, she's not an enemy, but a victim of something horrible we should all fix before she hurts us all without meaning to," The screen went blank. Gibbs turned to talk to Abby, but then saw she was gone. He cursed under his breath.

"Find Abby," he ordered. She nodded and ran out of MTAC, just as the clip started to replay again. Gibbs kept watching it, memorizing every single detail, down to the most specific physical features of the witness. He was so absorbed in the two minute clip that he didn't even notice as the door opened and someone came in.

_Outside NCIS_

Abby stormed out of the place, wanting to do something reckless to escape the unbearable pain. She was a killer, and it wasn't even her fault. There would be no stopping what could happen the next time she fell into a nightmarish deathlike sleep. She plowed on, heading straight for the bar. She collapsed into the closest seat and glanced at the sign. Ladies, Free Drinks All Night Long. How convenient.

"One double vodka, please," she muttered. Abby downed it in just minutes. The bartender just stared at her in amazement.

"Hit me again," she grumbled, slamming the empty glass onto the counter. She was a killer. A monster. Another slash of pain in her heart. Another twinge of guilt. Another glass of wine…

"Hit me again," How many did she have? It didn't matter after three, or four. Nothing mattered, except running away from this horrible unbearable pain that was eating her up from the inside and didn't leave a trace. Finally, she stumbled out of the wretched place. Her head was spinning so much she couldn't see straight. She just barely managed to hijack the nearest motorcycle and take off. Time to get _really_ reckless.

**A/N: Wow, nice cliffy, right? Abby is so wasted, isn't she? Will she get found in time? Who is Gibbs' surprise visitor? Who killed TJ, and why? Where are Victoria and Daniela? What happened to Kelly? Why doesn't Caf-Pow exist in the real world? Hopefully, all of these questions, and more will be raised, in the next chapter. Thank you so MUCH for reviewing. My friend moved away to Colorado today. What a depressing thought…a review would be like a mini-hug for me. I could use all the mini hugs in the world to get me through this. I have go live on without one of my bestest friends EVER! At least I got to say goodbye. Some people, you don't get to say goodbye too. Remember that, for future fan fictions…**


	26. Drunken Fights Lead to Trouble

_**A/N: Final Chapter!**_

_Chapter 26- Drunken Fights Lead to Trouble_

"_Oh, its only you, Jen," Gibbs said, showing only the mildest looks of surprise on his face. But Jenny knew better. She could see him better than he could see himself sometimes. It was a skill she had to achieve over her long years of working here and getting to know everyone in the weird way she did, without even leaving her office._

"_Have you seen Abby?" he asked her after a minute._

"_Ah…yes, but you won't like what you hear," she said, a slightly fearful look on her face that Gibbs could only just detect in the darkness. The clip stopped replaying, showing only a blank screen. _

"_Just tell me,"_

"_I saw her stumble out of a bar, completely drunk, take Tony's old motorcycle, and drive away,"_

_Near the Maryland border_

**Long lost words whisper slowly to me**

**Still can't find what keeps me here**

**When all this time I've been so hollow**

**I know you're still there**

**Watching me, wanting me**

**I can feel you pull me down**

**Fearing you, loving you**

**I won't let you pull me down**

**Haunting you, I can smell you alive**

**Your heart pounding in my head**

**Watching me, wanting me**

**I can feel you pull me down**

**Saving me, raping me**

**Watching me**

**Watching me, wanting me**

**I can feel you pull me down**

**Fearing you, loving you**

**I won't let you pull me down**

Abby bobbed her head to the beat, allowing the sound of Evanescence to consume all her other thoughts. Finally, the motorcycle ran out of gas and she was forced to walk. First part of the plan was complete. The song on her iPod came to a sudden conclusion, and another one started, one Tony had added for his amusement…

_There's a place downtown where the freaks all come around_

_It's a hole in the wall, it's a dirty free for all_

_Tonight_

_When the dark of the night comes around, that's the time_

_That the animal comes alive _

_Looking for something wild_

Abby stormed into the nearest club, feeling bold with the effects of the alcohol really starting to take a hold of her.

_Got my drunk text on_

_I'll regret it in the mornin'_

_But tonight_

_I don't give a _

_I don't give a _

_I don't give a_

_There's a place downtown where the freaks all come around_

_It's a hole in the wall_

_It's a dirty free for all_

_And they turn me on_

_When they take it off_

_When they take it off_

_Everybody take it off_

The song described the mood of the club perfectly, and she was just starting to feel normal when the headphones were suddenly yanked out of her ears and her iPod was tossed aside. It smashed against the wall and the small screen went black. Abby could feel anger boiling her blood.

"Nobody smashes my iPod and lives to tell the tale," she growled, shoving the culprit into the bar counter. This anger was something she was unaccustomed to, almost as if someone else had stepped into her body and taken control. Wait a minute, that's what it was exactly like. But there was no stopping it now, she had no control of the situation form the second she saw the broken iPod sitting on the ground.

"Whoa, lady, I'll fix it for ya," the guy slurred. He bent over and tapped at the screen a few times. It flickered back to life. But she could still feel impossible anger pumping in her veins. There was no going back now. The damage was done, and he would pay…they would all pay…the last thing she remembered was swinging her fist at him. And suddenly she was being pulled away from the scene.

"It's that girl form the news!" a voice said. "She's gotta be woken up, remember what's going to happen?"

"Yeah, throw water on her!" another person called out. "Maybe that will work!" A gallon of water fell on Abby's head, and she could feel her head clear slightly. Almost as if she were sobering up, but not quite.

"Come on, wake up!" someone begged, shaking her violently. She was trying, trying hard, but someone had a much harder grip on her mind that she couldn't identify. The presence in her head was familiar: strong, confident, full of violent anger…suddenly, she knew, and that made her fight all the harder. That damn Victoria didn't know when to leave her alone! The effort was starting to exhaust her, though, and she could feel herself slipping away. She pulled out her cell phone and called the one man she knew could fix this situation.

"Gibbs," she slurred. "I…I messed up so badly. I'm sorry," The call disconnected. The signal was lost. Her phone fell to the floor. Someone was holding her up. Abby felt very nauseous from being shaken around so much.

"I don't like the color she's turning…" the first voice said.

_Meanwhile, in Abby's lab…_

Kelly wandered over to the large computer, staring at all the numbers and symbols scrolling across the screen. She was only just beginning to learn to read, but suddenly the nonsense jumped together into words and sentences and she slowly read out the message waiting for her.

"Turn off controls…" the toddler murmured, frowning at the phrase. There was a large silver box, with two options. Yes, or No. She thought for a little longer, wondering what this meant. Finally, her eyes fell on a strange object, one she saw her mother use sometimes when at the computer. The white arrow was hovering on Yes. She climbed up onto the chair pressed the button and waited. After a moment, the box vanished. Melanie ran into the lab, panting for breath.

"Jenny is coming!" she said. Melanie never noticed the things that Kelly did for some reason. She was always all about being a little princess, but Kelly knew there were more important things to worry about.

"Tell Jenny I want a juice box," Kelly told Melanie as she turned back to the screen. "And ask her what controls this magic Tee-Vee meant,"

"Why?" Melanie demanded. "What are you talking about?" Something popped up on the computer. Chip Controls Turned Off. Target Resuming Own Controls…a picture of Abby was shown beneath the message.

"That's Mommy!" Kelly exclaimed. "Controls…Mommy…" Jenny walked into the lab and peered at the computer.

"What is this?" the woman asked.

"Something bad happened to Mommy,"

"No, I think this is good, Kelly. What did you do?"

"I don't know,"

_Back in the club_

At the same time Kelly had taken control of the mouse and clicked it, Abby instantly felt the strange presence leave her head. Instantly, she collapsed onto the floor just as Gibbs ran in to rescue her. The last thing she remembered was strong hands lifting her up, taking her away from the danger.

"You're safe now, Abs," Gibbs whispered, kissing Abby on the forehead. She mumbled something incoherent, and he thought he could see a tiny hint of a smile.

-Later, at NCIS-

It was discovered that the chip controls were deactivated through the Major Mass Spec in Abby's lab. Kelly unknowingly had saved the day. Of course, Abby was still out cold in autopsy, as she had been for the past four hours. It was just a matter of waiting.

"Victoria was arrested, TJ is dead, and for once Fornell didn't get involved," Tony mused in the bullpen. "A good day, I think," Ziva rolled her eyes. Kate ignored him, focusing on McGee.

"You know, I'm getting really sick of this wheelchair," McGee grumbled, glaring at the floor. "Ducky said it would be _ages_ before I could walk again,"

"Just count yourself lucky, Tim. You have a wonderful wife, and a beautiful and intelligent child," Kate told him.

"That is true," he agreed. "I just wish she would wake up already so that I can tell her how much I love her," Kate looked up and noticed Abby silently standing behind him, much in the way Gibbs did sometimes.

"Are you sure she doesn't already know?" she asked. "You tell her every day,"

"It could never be enough," McGee sighed wistfully.

"If things got anymore crazy around here," Ziva said, "I think I would-"

"You would what?" Gibbs interrupted, startling the agent. He caught Abby's gaze and seemed to instantly know her plan.

"I miss seeing you happy, Abby," McGee mumbled in a mournful tone.

"Aw, you do Timmy?" she squealed, causing McGee to jump at least six inches out of his chair.

"Yes, I do," he said, smiling up at her. "So, smile for me, okay?" She grinned at him. Kelly ran into the room. Melanie dashed after her and nearly bowled Tony over.

"Mommy's back!" Kelly shouted, hugging her mother's legs. Ducky came into the bullpen.

"Are you sure you just don't want the chip to be removed to ensure-" he started, but Gibbs silenced him with a look that told him to wait.

"Let them have their moment, Duck," Gibbs said. "I have a feeling this will all blow over by tonight,"

"What about Daniela?" he asked the silver haired man.

"I believe she isn't our problem anymore,"

_Local Jail- some months later_

It was Christmas Eve, and McGee was learning to get around on crutches at last. Kate left for Israel with Ziva for a brief vacation overseas. Tony and Palmer remained in autopsy to hold down the fort. Gibbs, McGee, and Abby were investigating the jail cell. Daniela had been murdered in her own cell.

"This isn't murder, for the last time," Gibbs explained to McGee in a frustrated tone.

"Why, boss?"

"Look, the angle of this gunshot…this was suicide,"

"Why are we here, then?" Abby questioned.

"Because Daniela ha-because we just are," he growled.

"It's murder," McGee insisted under his breath. "Face it boss. Victoria's out of jail right after this happened. Coincidence? I think not,"

"Tim, she couldn't have, she was unarmed. Guards have footage," Gibbs sighed and left the 'crime scene.'

"Why doesn't anyone believe me?" he almost shouted.

"Tim, let's just finish up here. It's Christmas Eve, and Linda's bringing Melanie by tomorrow morning," He gritted his teeth and took the final photo. That was when something caught his attention.

"Abs?" he queried.

"Mmhm?" She was currently staring at the snow out the small window.

"You got that chip removed, right?"

"Yeah, why?"

"I think I found it," He pointed at a scar on Daniela's neck. It was the same shape as Abby's.

"I think I know what killed her," Abby said. "And it wasn't that gunshot…this was a fake injury," She peeled off the 'wound', which only turned out to be a sticker.

"Huh. It was murder," he said.

"Not so fast, Timmy. Take a look here…" Abby's gloved fingers gestured to rope marks on her neck, lined with bruises.

"Oh. It is a suicide,"

"Gibbs is never wrong. Sorry, honey. Let's get the body out of here and go home,"

Victoria silently watched the NCIS crew dispose of her sister's body. Sweet justice, she thought. As she turned to leave, she heard the click of a gin at her temple.

"Sweet justice indeed," Gibbs said. There was a bang, light, pain, and another noise, and it all went black.

"Merry Christmas, my sweet…" Red roses were laid on a stone grave. Footsteps crunched through the snow that was now picking up. To anyone who would have been watching, they would have seen nothing but a black parasol and the glint of a wrist cuff, before the figure vanished into the rapidly swirling storm of white. Which grave she visited and why would forever remain a mystery, but only one other person knew, and that person was named Agent McGregor.

McGee came to a conclusion to his newest manuscript. Abby smiled at him after reading the whole thing through over his shoulder.

"Tim, that looks like a new best seller to me," she said as he set the last page aside.

"You don't think its too morbid?" he asked nervously.

"I think its perfect," she said, pecking him on the head. "It describes our lives perfectly," Normally, he would deny this, but even he knew that the portrayals of his coworkers were obvious.

"All right, I'll send it in tomorrow morning. The place is open on Christmas,"

"Goodnight, Tim," She left the room. After a minute, McGee left as well, turning off the light. It was getting late and he was tired. His watch read half past eleven. He just barely made the deadline. Abby was waiting for him in the bedroom.

"Would you ever want to have another child, Timmy?" she whispered in the darkness.

"Hm, I'll think about it," he murmured, smiling to himself. Life was finally set the way he wanted it. It wouldn't hurt to have something extra as a sort of reward. As if to say yes, McGee kissed his wife full on the lips for longer than normal.

"I take that as a yes," she breathed, pulling him closer. His thoughts drifted far away form the freshly completed manuscript, way back to how this was the first time, when they were younger and newly in love and not married. It was hard to believe that small of an act was what started the whole adventure, and now the possibility of a new child was what would start a new one.

**A/N: Thanks a million for all the feedback! This story took a little longer to complete that I would've liked, but it was still quick going. Thank you to all who read and reviewed or just simply put it as a favorite. Just the simple act of clicking on the link over and over again means I did something right…and that makes me swell with happiness. Can you believe this is my THIRD completed story? I know, right? It's all so sudden, so sad to have come to the end so soon, but it has to end sometime. Thank you, thank you, thank you once again for reading this!**


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